Continuing its investment in original content, Amazon today announced it is greenlighting “Zombieland,” a new comedy series based on the Columbia Pictures movie of the same name, which will be made available for free to Amazon Instant Video and LOVEFiLM UK subscribers. This is the seventh original comedy series added to Amazon Studios’ lineup, which also includes six children’s pilots, previously announced.
Like competitors Netflix and Hulu, Amazon has been swiftly moving to fund and sign deals to bring both original and licensed content to its Amazon Instant Video service. In addition to deals for popular shows like Downtown Abbey, its original production arm, Amazon Studios, has already begun production of six other comedy shows, including Alpha House, Browsers, Dark Minions, Onion News Empire, Supanatural and Those Who Can’t. Though these shows are not household names at this time, Amazon has managed to sign some big-name actors for leads – for example, John Goodman, known for Roseanne, The Big Lebowski and most recently, Argo, will be starring in Alpha House.
Not all of Amazon Studios’ pilots are guaranteed to make it to “air,” so to speak, however. The company will determine which of the thirteen originals make it into full-season productions, based on customer feedback. It’s a similar process to how TV pilots are traditionally launched, except that this time around, its Amazon customers who are helping to make the final call.
With Zombieland, Amazon Studios is taking a slightly different angle on original content. Instead of having to build up buzz around new, unknown shows, it’s hoping to capitalize on name recognition the film has already earned.