5 Mar 2013, 1548 hrs IST

Entertainment News: Panorama Media have resurrected the project after Lionsgate’s original movie adaptation traversed into development hell. It’s going to be hard to steer clear of all the “back from the dead” puns, but the short and long of it is that Pride and Prejudice and Zombies is going back into production.

The production company have joined forces with Darko Entertainment and Handsomecharlie Films, whose producers include Natalie Portman, Sean McKittrick, Annette Savitch and Allison Shearmur. They’re currently pitching the project to directors in a hope to take the film to Cannes in May.

Once upon a time, well, just back in 2011, there were plans to adapt the zombie-themed novel by Seth Grahame-Smith, a parody of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, named (you guessed it) Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. David O. Russell wrote the script and at one point was attached to direct.

Fright Night’s Craig Gillespie was even attached to direct the project, and things were looking hopeful again – but then things started to go wrong. Casting problems occurred: various people were offered roles at various points, including Emma Stone, who didn’t enter into negotiations. Finally, Craig Gillespie exited the project in October 2011 citing casting as a major concern.

If Pride and Prejudice and Zombies does get made, here’s hoping it is a marked improvement on Seth Grahame-Smith’s other adaptation, Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter. For the sake of Pete, keep Timur Bekmambetov and Tim Burton away from this one!

This year marks the 200th anniversary of what most concede is one of the earliest and best known romance novels ever written: “Pride and Prejudice.” If you’ve never read it (seriously?), you’re in for a treat. The courtship of Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy has borne multiple mini-series and movie versions over the years.

In what is perhaps the ultimate compliment of contemporary pop culture, Pemberley (for the uninitiated, that’s the name of Darcy’s country estate) has also been “zombified.” “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies” appeared on the scene back in 2009 and a movie version of it is currently in production.

Imitation being the sincerest form of flattery, Austen’s regency romance has also been the basis of numerous other spin-offs and what is commonly known as “fan fiction.” Regina Jeffers has a series of “Pride and Prejudice” mysteries. The imagined saga of Pemberley continues in a host of books by Rebecca Ann Collins known as “The Pemberley Chronicles.”

Children can get in on the joy of Jane with “Pride and Prejudice: A Counting Primer” and teens have a high-school version of the romance in “Prom and Prejudice.” Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy’s courtship has even been immortalized in graphic novels.

For those who enjoy Christian fiction, there’s the recent “Mr. Darcy Broke My Heart” and “chick-lit” lovers can thoroughly enjoy a modern twist on the story in Shannon Hale’s “Austenland.” Much in the voice of “Bridget Jones’s Diary,” a 30-something named Jane (what else?) fantasizes about finding a real life Mr. Darcy thanks to her obsession with Colin Firth’s portrayal of him in the BBC series. And I ask you, who among us cannot relate?

Surely Ms. Austen would be astonished that a book she originally penned in the late 1790s, though not published until 1813, had gone on to bear fruit which now constitutes the largest segment of book sales in the industry with an estimated revenue of $1.4 billion.

No other genre comes close; the next most profitable category is “religion/inspirational” with an estimated revenue only slightly more than half that of romance fiction. With so many outgrowths of sub-genres including paranormal, western, steampunk and the erotic romance now all the rage courtesy of E.L. James, it’s difficult not to pick up or download a title and fall head over heels with an age-old story of boy meets girl.

All of the titles mentioned can be found in your favorite library in multiple formats—hardcovers to e-books.

If you’re Austen-ed out, the Wadleigh Library has something special for you throughout February. In keeping with the spirit of Valentine’s Day a.k.a. Singles Awareness Day, we’re suggesting you go on a blind date. With a book. Our matchmakers – er, librarians – have been busy selecting fun and interesting books we just know you’ll fall in love with.

Stop by the Wadleigh and select one of our specially wrapped titles on display; each has a “teaser” description to pique your interest. Check it out, take it home, pour a glass of your favorite beverage, curl up, unwrap and enjoy.