Lily James stars in Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, the unconventional retelling of the Jane Austen classic.
Here’s the first trailer for Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, the adaptation of the epic, hilarious Pride and Prejudice parody by Seth Grahame-Smith:
Whatever madness inspired Grahame-Smith to add zombies to Jane Austen’s classic novel, we want a slice. This is pure, unadulterated brilliance. (After all, the Colin Firth version is already perfect. They have to mix it up!)
In the trailer, we get our first look at Lily James as Elizabeth Bennet, who is blatantly challenging Buffy the Vampire Slayer, whipping out her machetes and slashing zombies left and right.
“To succeed in polite society, a young woman must be many things: Kind, well-read and accomplished,” she narrates. “But to survive in the world as we know it, she’ll need… other qualities.”
Related: Pride and Prejudice bicentenary: Why we (still) love Jane Austen
We’re delighted to see that the novel’s quirky mix of Austen’s Regency language and straight-up zombie gore has translated to the big-screen adaptation: The young Bennet sisters are accomplished not only in dancing and polite conversation, but in hardcore zombie hunting.
After all, “It is a truth universally acknowledged that a zombie in possession of brains must be in want of more brains.”
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies also stars Matt Smith, Lena Headey, Douglas Booth, Jack Huston, Charles Dance, and Hermione Corfield.
In the movie, get ready to experience the madness of a zombie invasion at Netherfield, and for Elizabeth Bennet to emerge as the heroine she always was — but this time with mad ninja skills.