‘Zombieland 2’ raises the stakes with Terminator zombies, Obama’s ‘Beast’ limo and Elvis

LOS ANGELES – There are times you need to nut up or shut up.

If you’re bringing back the beloved “Zombieland” to theaters, you’d better amp up what we didn’t know we needed in an undead action comedy: Obama’s killer “Beast” limousine, Elvis and Terminator zombies. (And Bill Murray somehow rising from the dead after his tragic death in the original would be cool, too).

Director Ruben Fleischer conjures all that with the return of the most dysfunctional family to roam the zombie apocalypse – Woody Harrelson’s Tallahassee, Emma Stone’s Wichita, Jesse Eisenberg’s Columbus and Abigail Breslin’s Little Rock – in “Zombieland: Double Tap” (in theaters Friday).

“Raising the stakes is always a good thing for a sequel,” says Fleischer.

The original 2019 movie depicted a devastating viral outbreak that brought zombie global domination and four bickering survivors together, bonding over great kills. But the virus has mutated over the decade, to create stronger, more oppressive zombies who earn the Terminator-inspired moniker T-800s. 

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"Zombieland: Double Tap" brings on harder-to-kill T-800 creatures. (Photo: JESSICA MIGLIO/SONY)

“They are harder-to-kill, relentless zombies that stop at nothing. And it causes everyone concern as they learn how meet the new threat,” says Fleischer. 

This required better zombie thespians, well above the typical drooling norm for shambling undead types in lesser productions.

“Our first T-800 was a dancer stunt guy who had strong physical control of his body (and was) able to do those movements that seemed inhuman,” says Fleischer

But the T-800s aren’t the only new creatures roaming the land. The evolving disease has created whole other undead categories, include “The Homer” (moronic even by zombie standards), “The Ninja” (skilled at moving and fighting) and “The Hawking” (dangerously smart). “All of this makes the zombie landscape more compelling,” says Fleischer.

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