Natalie Portman will produce and star as Elizabeth Bennet in the highly anticipated film adaptation of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. Based on author Seth Grahame-Smith’s book, an outrageous re-imagining of the Jane Austin novel Pride and Prejudice, the movie follows Bennet as she wrestles with the issues of morality, manners, and the undead in 19th century London.

Annette Savitch, VP of Development for Portman’s Handsomecharlie Films banner, had this to say:

Natalie and I are longtime passionate fans of Jane Austen’s books and this is a fresh, fun and thought-provoking way to approach her work. The idea of zombies running rampant in 19th Century England may sound odd, but it lends a modern sense of urgency to a well known love story.

Portman is currently filming Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan in New York.

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies was published earlier this year by Quirk Books. The novel garnered positives reviews and cracked the New York Times bestseller list. In September, the publishing house followed up PPZ’s success with another Jane Austin mashup: Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters, written by Ben H. Winters.

Seth Grahame-Smith is said to be working on a new novel entitled Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.