Yahoo Movies ‘Kill List’ Director Ben Wheatley Lands Brexit-Themed Zombie Drama ‘Generation Z’ At Channel 4
Click here to read the full article.
Kill List director Ben Wheatley has created a Brexit zombie drama for UK’s Channel 4 – his first television project since directing episodes of Doctor Who.
The broadcaster has commissioned six-part series Generation Z. It will feature “rapacious” baby boomers and “disaffected” teenagers at each other’s throats.
More from Deadline
Benedict Cumberbatch, Tamsin Greig, David Oyelowo To Voice 'The Tiger Who Came To Tea' For Channel 4
Produced by Kiri producer The Forge, it will feature pitch-black humor and biting satire to tell how Brexit has divided the country, and in this case, led to brain munching.
The blurb: The future looks bleak for today’s youth – seemingly-endless austerity, astronomical house prices, insurmountable student debt, a political system which appears intent on destroying itself… And to add insult to injury, their hard-earned taxes are being eaten up by the old – smug, self-satisfied, small-minded, “Little Englander” pensioners whose remaining sole purpose in life is to make it a misery for everyone else.
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.
Generation Z was commissioned by Channel 4’s Head of Drama Caroline Hollick and Commissioning Editor Lee Mason. It will go into production in 2020 and will be Executive Produced by Wheatley, Mark Pybus and George Faber. It is written and directed by Ben Wheatley. All3media International will handle global sales.
Wheatley said, “I’m excited to be working with Channel 4 and The Forge. Generation Z is my first original created TV project and I couldn’t think of better partners.”
Caroline Hollick, Head of Drama at Channel 4, said, “Ben is a unique creative force, and I’m delighted that he’s bringing this hilarious, frightening and political horror series to Channel 4. I can’t wait to see him transform the zombie genre into something both outrageous and cannily perceptive.”
George Faber, Executive Producer, added, “We’re thrilled to be partnering with the hugely talented Ben Wheatley on his epic comic horror series and very much look forward to discovering how Generation Z will fight the plague of Baby Boomer zombies who are after their young flesh.”
Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
