Home TV News Channel 4 Commissions Zombie Satire ‘Generation Z’ From Ben Wheatley

Channel 4 Commissions Zombie Satire ‘Generation Z’ From Ben Wheatley

by Dave Elliott

Channel 4 Commissions Zombie Satire ‘Generation Z’ From Ben Wheatley

Channel 4 has handed a 6 episode series order to Ben Wheatley for Generation Z, which sees rapacious baby boomers and disaffected teenagers at each other’s throats… this time quite literally. First, they ate your dreams of a brighter future, now they want to eat you…

The future looks bleak for today’s youth – seemingly-endless austerity, astronomical house prices, insurmountable student debt, a political system which appears intent on destroying itself… And to add insult to injury, their hard-earned taxes are being eaten up by the old – smug, self-satisfied, small-minded, “Little Englander” pensioners whose remaining sole purpose in life is to make it a misery for everyone else.

In a small British town, tensions come to a head when a mysterious military convoy crashes outside the Sunnywise Retirement Home. The vehicles were carrying a toxic substance, which, as a result of the crash, leaks into the local environment and infects the residents of the retirement community. The symptoms of this infection quickly manifest – an overwhelming appetite for raw flesh. They’re old, they’re angry and they’re on the rampage. As the military scrambles to control the outbreak and keep everything out of the media spotlight, a group of regular teenagers find themselves in the thick of the battle against these flesh-eating baby boomers.

Generation Z follows a group of wide-eyed teenagers caught up in a future far more grotesque and terrifying than anything they could have expected. They wanted to make a difference, this is their chance! But it’s going to take more than a pithy meme on social media…this is a bloody and messy battle royale!

Tapping directly into the myriad fears which define the experience of today’s youth and bringing viscerally to life the increasingly stark divisions between generations, Ben Wheatley’s Generation Z is a compelling, macabre, timely, outrageous, and scabrous satire presenting a modern Britain at war with itself.

“Ben is a unique creative force, and I’m delighted that he’s bringing this hilarious, frightening and political horror series to Channel 4,” comments Caroline Hollick, Head of Drama at Channel 4. “I can’t wait to see him transform the zombie genre into something both outrageous and cannily perceptive.”

Written and directed by Ben Wheatley and produced by The Forge, this 6 X 60’ comedy-drama is a timely, startling and thrillingly outrageous ride through a green and pleasant land rent by division, disappointment and… death.

“I’m excited to be working with Channel 4 and The Forge,” adds Wheatley. “Generation Z is my first original created tv project and I couldn’t think of better partners.”

Wheatley is an award-winning writer and director for both film and television whose work has been celebrated internationally. His television career began directing series of Channel 4 comedy Modern Toss and BBC3 comedy Ideal. In 2008 he created and directed comedy sketch show ‘The Wrong Door’ for BBC3, winning a BAFTA Craft Award for Visual Effects. More recently he has directed episodes of ‘Doctor Who’ as well as thriller ‘Strange Angel’ for CBS.

‘Generation Z’ is produced by The Forge for Channel 4 and has been commissioned by Channel 4’s Head of Drama Caroline Hollick and Commissioning Editor Lee Mason. The series will be Executive Produced by Ben Wheatley, Mark Pybus and George Faber. It is written and directed by Ben Wheatley. All3media International will handle global sales.

“We’re thrilled to be partnering with the hugely talented Ben Wheatley on his epic comic horror series and very much look forward to discovering how Generation Z will fight the plague of Baby Boomer zombies who are after their young flesh,” said George Faber, Executive Producer.

No news on a premiere date yet for ‘Generation Z‘ Season 1, but it goes into production in 2020. We’ll bring you more info when we get it.

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