HEAT VISION

Orion Pictures Nabs Zombie Holiday Musical 'Anna and the Apocalypse'

by Mia Galuppo
Anna and the Apocalypse_Key Art_Poster - Publicity - P 2017
Courtesy of Berlinale
The horror musical comedy had its world premiere at Fantastic Fest.

Orion Pictures has picked up zombie musical Anna and the Apocalypse for North and Latin America, and is planning for a holiday 2018 release.

The feature takes places in Little Haven on Christmas as a zombie apocalypse threatens the sleepy town, forcing Anna (Ella Hunt) and her high school friends to fight, sing and slash their way to survival with a fast-spreading undead horde in relentless pursuit. Teaming up with her best friend, John (Malcolm Cumming), Anna and her crew fight their way through zombified snowmen, a ravenous bachelor party and high school hormones to try and save family and faculty alike.

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The horror comedy musical, which had its world premiere at Fantastic Fest, also stars Mark Benton and Paul Kaye.

John McPhail directed the feature — based on the 2010 BAFTA-winning short film Zombie Musical — that was written by Alan McDonald and the late Ryan McHenry, who was behind the viral sensation Ryan Gosling Won’t Eat His Cereal. Roddy Hart and Tommy Reilly provided original musical for the film, which was produced by Naysun Alae-Carew and Nicholas Crum of Blazing Griffin in association with Tracy Jarvis of Parkhouse Pictures and Creative Scotland.
 
MGM relaunched Orion pictures in September as a stand-alone U.S. theatrical marketing and distribution company, headed by John Hegeman. The first feature set for release under the reinstated label will be MGM's adaptation of Michael Sucsy’s YA romance Every Day, which stars Angourie Rice and Justice Smith, and hits theaters Feb. 23. Anna and the Apocalypse is Orion's first acquisition. 

“The team at Orion can’t wait to work with Blazing Griffin in making Anna and the Apocalypse a holiday spectacular for the ages," said Hegeman. Nothing gets the blood flowing like a good holiday musical.” 

The deal was negotiated by XYZ Films on behalf of the filmmakers.

 

 

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