Mountain Man: Joe Manganiello to star in and produce zombie thriller

Joe Manganiello recently said that he’s always “on the lookout for a good werewolf script” because he feels he has some unfinished business from his days of playing a werewolf on HBO series True Blood – but while we wait to see if and when he’s going to end up making a werewolf movie, Deadline reports that he has signed on to star in and produce a zombie thriller called Mountain Man.

Mountain Man is based on a series of novels written by Keith C. Blackmore. There are currently three books in that series, so if the movie is well-received there is some franchise potential here.

John Lee, whose previous credits include False Positive and Pee-wee’s Big Holiday, is set to direct the film from a screenplay by Matt Deller. Mountain Man will tell the story of Gus, a lonely post-apocalyptic survivor facing isolation and the ever-present specter of a zombie attack, who struggles with alcohol abuse and suicidal thoughts until he discovers another survivor, a captivating woman who poses another threat altogether.

The first Mountain Man book had the following description: Boomstick. Samurai bat. Motorcycle leather. And the will to live amongst the unliving. Augustus Berry lives a day-to-day existence comprised of waking up, getting drunk, and preparing for the inevitable day when “they” will come up the side of his mountain and penetrate his fortress. Living on the outskirts of a city and scavenging for whatever supplies remain after civilization died two years ago, Gus knows that every time he goes down into undead suburbia could be his last.

Joe Manganiello and Nick Manganiello will be producing through their company 3:59, alongside Danny Chan. The Manganiellos provided the following statement: “John is a brilliant creative mind. We’ve been looking for the right thing to do together since we filmed Pee-wee’s Big Holiday and it’s finally here. Very excited to get to work on such weird, wild project with him.” Joe Manganiello played an exaggerated version of himself in the Pee-wee movie.

Film Bridge International will be presenting the project to potential buyers at the Cannes Film Market. The filmmakers are aiming to get Mountain Man into production later this year.

Are you interested in Mountain Man? Does a zombie thriller starring Joe Manganiello sound like something you’d want to check out? Let us know by leaving a comment below.