We went behind the scenes of Scouts Guide To The Zombie Apocalypse.
Here’s what happened…
The building looks amazing.
Its June and were in California, and the lobby is providing welcome shade from the sun.
Ive probably just been sent by accident.
One of which, a gun that shoots doorknobs (made of rubber the magic of Hollywood!
), looks more than a little like the slime gun fromGhostbusters 2.
Were then ushered back downstairs and through a large hall full of tables.
Not long before, this hall was full of extras.
Were moved straight through and down into the basement.
Its a massive area split into two by a wall.
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The set section looks amazing.
Flashing lights, graffiti everywhere and an impressive number of extras.
Were advised that the film will feature over two hundred zombies.
If only real graffiti artists were as considerate.
A guy sits at the side of the pool, working away happily on two different computers.
Film sets arent like any other workplace, in that he doesnt have Facebook open on either of them.
Theres kit everywhere and a huge number of people.
Theyre constantly walking past.
Whats weird is, it never seems to be the same person.
Unfortunately Im 32 and dont know who DJs are.
But, good news 19 year olds; Dillon Francis has a cameo inScouts Guide To The Zombie Apocalypse!
The take suddenly less imminent, were taken to the creepiest boiler room in the world.
Apparently, they had already used this space to film another, unrelated scene.
Again, such is the magic of Hollywood.
We collected journalists are then herded around one of two set of monitors.
We watch three different angles of the action scene taking place next door.
After a few hours getting this shot, theyll move on to get three more angles on it.
It comes to mind that renowned repeat-taker Stanley Kubrick was an utter maniac.
Landon is a cool guy.
When theyre shooting, though, hes focused on the monitors, quick to respond if something is wrong.
Behind Landons monitors are several boards covered in storyboard cards leaning against a wall.
The monitors are named.
Theyre:
Monitor A BJMonitor B EricMonitor C
No idea who Monitor C pissed off.
Early in the first take we see, Landon reacts to something almost immediately.
No, no, no, no, no he mumbles.
He watches the take through, then sets about fixing what he saw.
Who could blame her?
Its why Ive been voted Den of Geeks most cowardly writer six years in a row.
Ive never had the guts to collect the award, though.
Time is always our biggest challenge Landon tells us.
But its time spent getting things right.
Jokes aside, Landon clearly is having fun.
Hes trying to make a fun movie, too.
I always want to write something that I would want to go see.
I didnt want to do a PG-13 zombie movie, because it cant be gory.
Theres too many nos in that world and I wanted everything to be yes!
The script was reworked to, among other things, bring in the genre cornerstones of gore and nudity.
Landon is relaxed and seems happy to take questions and chat with us.
I watched all the Romero movies, he tells us.
I was inappropriately young when I started watchingDawn Of The DeadandDay Of The Dead.
A lot of our zombies have personalities.
Whatever they did in their former life, theyre still living out some version of that Landon explains.
You have to stick to certain rules.
Like, you cant get around the idea that you [have] to brain a zombie.
If you just go and stab a zombie and it dies, youre going to lose your audience.
On the subject of zombies, its an absolute delight to be on set with them.
One particular zombie clocks me looking at him.
Then, just as casually, he swaggers away.
High fives to you, cool zombie guy.
Id like everyone to interpret it for themselves, he explains because everyone has different biometrics.
We dont want everybody moving the same way, we just want them to have the same focus.
When were introduced to Gardner, hes stood behind a bar.
In front of him is a big bowl of bananas, just for people to eat.
Behind him, a gruesome mess of a bloody leg spills out of a black bin liner.
Gardner works away at a zombie dummy that you just know is going to be used for something awesome.
Working on the film has been no simple task.
We have 18 makeup artists today.
Casting, for me, its like a gut thing, he explains.
You meet someone and you either fall in love or you dont.
It started, really, with Tye Sheridan.
I was on a plane and I sawMudand he was amazing says Landon.
We started talking about the Ben character; I didnt want Ben to be a caricature.
Sheridan comes across as a thoughtful, friendly young man.
Hes very charismatic, too.
I read the script and I was super blown away by how much I cared about the characters.
Have these young rascals no respect for the press?
I thought, although theyre actually being more help than they realise.
Its a bunch of silly guys being silly together.
The scale only makes it sillier.
The camaraderie between the three boys looks authentic to my outsider eyes.
We hang out, we playFIFA Sheridan explains.
Our chat with Logan Miller and Joey Morgan takes place in the so-creepy-I-wish-I-could-stop-mentioning-it boiler room.
One of the lovely people who has been showing us around becomes a little flummoxed rounding the pair up.
Miller is cheeky and rambunctious.
Hes clearly having a ball making this film.
Chris is one of the raunchiest writers Ive ever met in my life.
Joey Morgan is a newcomer.
Hes got a natural funny manner about him.
Hes able to get a decent laugh from the group when describing his character, Augie.
Hes the most Boy Scouty Boy Scout of all Boy Scouts.
Hes quickly corrected, though; hes not a Boy Scout, hes a Scout.
I pitch the two some potential opponents for a sequel;Scouts vs Werewolves, or maybeScouts vs Beliebers?
Of course, the name change has put paid to our title pitches for a potential sequel.
Damn it, Hollywood!
We then leave the crew to work and head on our way.
Like I said, Im 32 and cool.
At the time of writing, Ive no idea howScouts Guide To The Zombie Apocalypseis going to turn out.
Its a big, slick looking zombie movie, but how it will play is still a mystery.
The World Cup is going on.
Youre just reading this in the future.
