A couple of months ago we bought you news that Generation Z, the long-awaited zombie drama from Ben Wheatley (Kill List, In the Earth, Meg 2: The Trench) was finally en route – and today brings some first look pics from the UK’s Channel 4, who will be broadcasting the series.
The satirical zomcom was first announced back in 2019 before quickly becoming derailed by the pandemic. But this summer, speaking at an Empire VIP screening of the English filmmaker’s mega shark blockbuster Meg 2: The Trench, Wheatley announced that Generation Z was back on the cards.
Channel 4 describes the series as a “coming-of-age parable for our very strange times – cut with a heavy dose of outlandish gore“, with a full plot synopsis reading as follows:
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.
Along with the brand new images seen below, Channel 4 have also announced a cast of Great British talent including the BAFTA Award-winning Robert Lindsay (Citizen Smith, Wimbledon), Sue Johnston (Downton Abbey), Paul Bentall (The World’s End), T’Nia Miller (The Haunting of Bly Manor), Anita Dobson (The Worst Witch), Lewis Gribben, Jay Lycurgo, Buket Komur, Viola Prettejohn, and legendary Brit comedian Johnny Vegas. Behind the scenes, award-winning MUFX designer Dan Martin (Infinity Pool, Censor, Possessor) worked on prosthetics and effects to create the gory zombie visuals.
In news that will surely come as excitement to many, Wheatley has also teased that the zoomers-vs-boomers series will be a return to a darker, grittier style that he’s known and loved for, mentioning at the aforementioned Empire event that Generation Z would be a return to the “Kill List-y, Sightseers-y world.”
The six-part series sounds brutal, bloody and unmistakably British – and frankly, we can’t wait. More updates on Generation Z as and when we get ’em! Now, here’s the first look pics courtesy of Channel 4 and The Forge:
