Lily Collins will be able to add butt-kicking action star/period actress to her resumé soon, as she has been cast as the lead actress in the on-again-off-again movie adaptation of the mash-up novel Pride & Prejudice & Zombies, Variety have reported. The actress has previously held similar roles in Mirror Mirror and the upcoming adaptation of the teen-fantasy novel The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones.

The movie reworking of author Seth Grahame-Smith's retelling of Pride & Prejudice, with added zombies, has been floating around Hollywood for some time now, with the first few attempts to make the film being dropped after too many would-be directors abandoned the project. The film has gained new financing though, from would-be Miss Bennet Natalie Portman as well as Annette Savitch of Handsomecharlie films, Sean McKittrick of Darko Entertainment and Allison Shearmur of Allison Shearmur Productions.

Lily Collins
Lily Collins is ready to kick some zombie behind

Burr Steers has also been drafted in to direct the film, although his previous outings as director of 17 Again and Charlie St. Cloud doesn't strike too much confidence into the project. Still, if he is working from David O'Russell's (Silver Lining Playbook) script then maybe the film will work out better than most recent attempts to bring genre mash-ups to the screen (Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, Cowboys vs. Aliens). Previously, Russell was lined up to write and direct, with Portman starring and Lionsgate distributing the film, but the script took too long t complete and each of the parties dropped out of the film. It is unknown whether Russell's script has been altered at all.

No set date has been given for when the film will begin shooting, but with a director, star and financial backing all finally in place again, it should hopefully be sooner, rather than later.