Ben Wheatley has tackled folk horror, giant sharks, Hitchcock, and musical mushrooms, but now he’s heading for the uncharted waters of zombies and television with Generation Z.
Gran of the Dead
The UK’s Channel 4 has given us a first look at the six-part show, and revealed its cast and details on the story, which you can read below.
Set in the fictional town of Dambury, the kind of place with stark opportunities and not much to do. Grey, unassuming, forgotten. It’s the last place you’d expect the apocalypse to begin… But when an army convoy overturns outside a care home, a chemical leak starts to have an adverse effect on the residents there. The OAPs, led by Cecily and Frank, played by Sue Johnston (The Royle Family) and Paul Bentall (The World’s End), escape the grasp of the army looking to contain their angry, violent, insatiable hunger for raw flesh.
On the night of the outbreak, teenagers – Charlie, Kelly, Steff, and Finn, played respectively by Jay Lycurgo, Buket Komur, Lewis Gribben, and Viola Prettejohn – are living normal teenage lives: tinnies, messy feelings, complex relationships, and ignoring their A-Level prep. But the gang abruptly find themselves at the center of the virus when Kelly’s nan Janine, played by Anita Dobson (EastEnders), becomes infected and attacks her.
Just because it’s the end of the world, it doesn’t mean your home life and relationship problems come to a halt, as the gang comes up against the zombie horde, battling with their parents, friendship betrayals, and old family secrets rearing their ugly heads. And life is just as complicated for the zombies, with the virus fuelling single-minded desires, bringing a whole new dimension to their zombie rampage. Meanwhile, Finn worries for grandad-figure Morgan, played by Robert Lindsay, when she comes to the realization that there might be more behind the chemical spill. Just what exactly was being transported?
The cast includes Ava Hinds-Jones, Robert Lindsay (Wimbledon), Sue Johnston, Paul Bentall, Anita Dobson (Call The Midwife), Lewis Gribben (Get Duked), Jay Lycurgo (Titans/The Batman), Buket Komur (Our House), Viola Prettejohn (The Nevers), Johnny Vegas (Ideal, Still Open All Hours), and Robin Hill (Kill List).
The show is currently filming in Wales, and Ben Wheatley is finding the show an enjoyable job.
“It’s been amazing working on Generation Z with The Forge and Channel 4,” Wheatley said in a statement, ”It’s my first original series and a project very close to my heart. I hope everyone loves it as much as we do.”
