TV
“Generation Z” – ‘Kill List’ Director Ben Wheatley Teases Upcoming Brexit-Themed Zombie Series
Kill List, Free Fire, and High-Rise director Ben Wheatley announced plans for the Brexit zombie drama “Generation Z” for UK’s Channel 4 back in 2019. Our friends at Fangoria report that Wheatley teased upcoming plans for “Generation Z” at a recent screening of his latest feature, Meg 2: The Trench.
“Generation Z” was initially set to go into production in 2020, but we all know how that year went. The series will be Executive Produced by Wheatley, Mark Pybus, and George Faber. It is written and directed by Ben Wheatley.
“What I’m doing next is six hours for Channel 4, [a] TV series, a horror-based thing […] In the same way I did In The Earth after Rebecca, I’ll do something that’s back to [the] Kill List-y, Sightseers-y world,” Wheatley told the attendees at the Empire VIP screening of Meg 2: The Trench.
The plot for the six-part series: “In a small British town, tensions come to a head when a mysterious military convoy crashes outside the Sunnywise Retirement Home. The vehicles were carrying a toxic substance, which, as a result of the crash, leaks into the local environment and infects the residents of the retirement community. The symptoms of this infection quickly manifest – an overwhelming appetite for raw flesh. They’re old, they’re angry and they’re on the rampage. As the military scrambles to control the outbreak and keep everything out of the media spotlight, a group of regular teenagers find themselves in the thick of the battle against these flesh-eating baby boomers.”
In other words, expect “rapacious” baby boomers and “disaffected” teenagers at each other’s throats.
The series is expected to feature “pitch-black humour and biting satire to tell how Brexit has divided the country, and in this case, led to brain munching.”
For those worried that Wheatley was leaving behind his grittier, indie horror roots behind with Meg 2: The Trench, fret not. Fangoria also quoted the Wheatley’s assurance, “once I’ve got that [horror series] out of my system, then I’ll be looking to do another larger film.”
It’ll be interesting to see what Wheatley does with the zombie subgenre, and if “Generation Z” will evolve in any way since its 2019 announcement. Stay tuned for additional details on the project as they arrive.
Move over, Martha’s Vineyard, Apple has officially renewed fan favorite horror comedy series “Widow’s Bay” for season two ahead of its season one finale!
The season one finale is set to arrive on Wednesday, June 17, on Apple TV, but don’t worry, Major Tom Loftis (Matthew Rhys) has declared the island safe and open to visitors next season in an announcement video below.
“Season two is about how everything is great on the island, and there’s nothing to worry about,” said creator, showrunner, and executive producer Katie Dippold.
“From the moment audiences arrived in Widow’s Bay, they’ve been hooked on every eerie mystery, unexpected laughs, and cursed secret that Katie, Hiro, Matthew, and the entire team have created,” said Matt Cherniss, head of programming, Apple TV. “It’s become one of those shows everyone’s talking about, and we’re thrilled to see audiences continue to embrace it. We can’t wait to return for another season.”
The series takes place in a “quaint island town 40 miles off the coast of New England. But something lurks beneath the surface. Mayor Tom Loftis (Matthew Rhys) is desperate to revive his struggling community. There’s no wifi, spotty cellular reception, and he must contend with superstitious locals who believe their island is cursed. He wants these people to respect him. They don’t. They think he is soft and cowardly. And he is.
“But Loftis is determined to build a better future for his teenage son and turn the island into a tourist destination. Miraculously, he succeeds: tourists are finally coming. Unfortunately, the locals were right. After decades of calm, the old stories that seemed too ludicrous to be true start happening again.”
Stephen Root, Kate O’Flynn, Kingston Rumi Southwick, Kevin Carroll, and Dale Dickey also star.
Daniel Kurland wrote in his “Widow’s Bay” review for Bloody Disgusting, “Season One makes a perfect first impression, and its debut is strong enough that viewers will want to set up permanent residency there. There’s an excellent sense of storytelling, character development, and an engaging mystery that’s strengthened through pitch-perfect horror and comedy.
This is the best news, especially as Apple TV announced a new, multi-year overall deal with Dippold. Here’s to hoping Widow’s Bay never closes to visitors.