Lily Collins and Burr Steers help revive 'Pride and Prejudice and Zombies'

Attempts to mount a big screen adaptation of Seth Grahame-Smith's literary mash-up Pride and Prejudice and Zombies have failed in pretty much every conceivable way. Not only could they not find a director, with David O. Russell, Mike White, and Craig Gillespie all having a cup of coffee on the job before splitting, but landing a lead actress has proven equally difficult. The list of names who were attached or eyed for it reads like a who's who of red-hot Hollywood. Natalie Portman, Emma Stone, Anne Hathaway, Scarlett Johansson, Blake Lively, and Mia Wasikowska all ended up turning it down. After sitting in development limbo for months, it looks like the film is getting back on the right track.

Lily Collins, who is set to star in The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones later this year, has been set to star in the film, which takes Jane Austen's classic story and throws in a bunch of zombies for good measure. Collins will take on the role that was so tough to cast, that of Elizabeth Bennett, who in this version is a deadly kung fu expert along with her four sisters.

Completing the package is Burr Steers, who is coming on board to direct. Steers remains an unknown after making a splash years ago with the dark indie comedy, Igby Goes Down. He's since fallen into directing bland Zac Efron efforts 17 Again and Charlie St. Cloud.

Variety suggests that it was the failure of mash-up Cowboys & Aliens that derailed the project for so long, and there may be some kernel of truth to that. When Russell and Portman were attached, he cited budget concerns as the reason he left, while the official story from the studio blamed scheduling conflicts. Russell's script is still in play, but additional rewrites may be done before production gets underway.