Jim Jarmusch Zombie Comedy The Dead Don’t Die to Open Cannes Film Festival
Photo by Abbot Genser/Focus Features Movies News The Dead Don't Die
Jim Jarmusch’s zombie comedy The Dead Don’t Die has been announced as the opener for the 72nd Cannes Film Festival in May. The Focus Features film stars “the greatest zombie cast ever disassembled,” with Bill Murray, Tilda Swinton, Adam Driver and Chloe Sevigny leading the way.
The Dead Don’t Die focuses on the fictional town of Centerville, where the dead rise from their graves and force the town’s residents to fight for survival. The film will make its world premiere when it screens in competition at the festival, and it also features performances from Steve Buscemi, Danny Glover, Rosie Perez, Iggy Pop, Selena Gomez, Caleb Landry Jones, RZA, Austin Butler, Luka Sabbat, Carol Kane and Tom Waits.
Jarmusch has become something of a favorite of the French festival. His last two films both screened at Cannes in 2016, with the Adam Driver-starring drama Paterson screening in competition and the Iggy and The Stooges music doc Gimme Danger appearing as part of the festival’s midnight screenings.
The festival’s full lineup of competition films will be revealed on April 18. It’s expected to include Quentin Tarantino’s forthcoming old Hollywood epic Once Upon a Time in Hollywood along with the Elton John biopic Rocketman. This year’s panel tasked with naming the recipient of the Palme D’Or, the festival’s highest honor, is led by acclaimed director Alejandro González Iñárritu.
The 72nd Cannes Film Festival will take place May 14-25 in Cannes, France. The Dead Don’t Die makes its theatrical debut in North America a month later on June 14. See the first trailer and poster for the film below.
