EDGAR WRIGHT(director, co-writer)
My parents didn’t have a VCR.
I was obsessed by zombie movies
without even seeing them,
through reading magazines like
Fangoria. Simon and I bonded
over the fact that we were
obsessed by [Romero’s 1979
movie]Dawn of the Dead.
SIMON PEGG(Shaun; co-writer)
I’d written a sequence forSpaced
in which Tim is playingResident
Eviland it becomes real, which
was just an excuse to participate
in a little bit of zombie action.
WRIGHTI was like, “We should do
a zombie film.” The initial title was
Teatime of the Dead.
PEGGWe didn’t want to parody
zombie movies. We wanted to
make a zombie movie. We wanted
to parody the rom-com. [Love
Actuallywriter-director] Richard
Curtis is a lovely man. But we
pitched it as “Richard Curtis shot
through the head.”
WRIGHTAround 2000, zombies
were not as ubiquitous as they
are now.
PEGGThey kind of went quiet
afterThriller. Everyone had seen
zombies [dancing], and it took thewind out of their scary sails.
We didn’t find out about28 Days
Lateruntil we were way into the
writing process.
WRIGHTI vividly remember
Simon calling me and saying,
“Hey, you know Danny Boyle’s
doing a zombie film.” I was like,
“Oh, we’re f---ed!”Pegg and Wright’s script con-
cerned an electronics-store sales
clerk named Shaun and his drug-
dealer pal Ed (Nick Frost), who,
after Shaun is dumped by his girl-
friend Liz (Kate Ashfield), embark
on a night of heavy drinking at
their local pub, the Winchester
Tavern. The next day, our hung-
over heroes find themselves in the
midst of a zombie apocalypse, and
Shaun concocts a plan to rescue
Liz and his mother, Barbara (Penel-
opeWilton),andthenholeupin
the aforementioned tavern. Much
of the screenplay was inspired by
the obsessions and habits of Pegg
and his real-life roommate Frost,
awaiterataMexicanrestaurant
whohadaroleinSpaced.
PEGGWhen I moved to London
with my girlfriend, she got a job at
a restaurant and said, “There’s a
guy at work who’s really funny.”
Eventually my relationship with her
ended, and I got Nick in the deal.
NICK FROST(Ed)We moved in
together in ’95.
PEGGHe is the funniest person
I’ve ever met. I said, “Stop working
in the restaurant and come and
be in this TV show.” And he was
like, “Uh, okay.”WRIGHTSimon and Nick had
detailed zombie-apocalypse
plans. They can tell you exactly
what they were. [Laughs]
FROSTObviously, you’d arm your-
selves with swords, knives,
machetes. A knife doesn’t run out
of bullets.
PEGGThe Shepherds was a pub
within two minutes’ walking
distance of our house. To say we
were regulars would be an under-
statement. Nick was the one that
said, “You should go to a pub in
a zombie apocalypse. You’ve got
food and drink, and the doors
are really heavy.” That was the
genesis of the Winchester.AfterShaun of the Deadproducer
NiraParkstruckadealwith
Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner’s
production company Working
Title Films, Penelope Wilton was
cast as Barbara and Bill Nighy as
Shaun’s stepfather, Philip. Other
roles went to young comedic
actors, including Lucy Davis (The
Office) and Dylan Moran (Black
Books). But alternate casting
options were considered.
PEGGIt was always going to be
something Edgar and I wrote for
me and Nick to be in.
WRIGHTIf you hadn’t seenSpaced,
you didn’t know Nick.
FROSTI blew mySpaced money in,
like, six weeks and went back to
waitering.
NIRA PARK(producer)There were
conversations with Working
Title about “Could we cast Ed
a different way?” We said, “If youEdgar Wright
AGE 43
director
Directed com-
edy showsMash
and Peas,Asy-
lum, andSpaced, among
others.UP NEXTWright
has yet to announce his
next project, following
this summer’s getaway-
thriller hit,Baby Driver.Caption Goes HereNira Park
AGE 48
producer
Began career
overseeing
TV showsGlam
Metal Detectives and
Spaced.UP NEXTCur-
rently producing director
Joe Cornish’s fantasy-
adventure filmThe Kid
Who Would Be King.
Dylan
Moran, Kate
Ashfield,
Pegg, and
Lucy Davis
( From left )
Nick Frost
and Simon
Pegg; Bill
NighyWRIGHT: VICTOR CHAVEZ/GETTY IMAGES; PARK: DAVE J HOGAN/GETTY IMAGES