A zombie thriller, tentatively titled A-44, will begin production in October. Chris Cooney—a horror film buff and 24-year vegan—wrote the script for the forthcoming film in 2009 before starting the popular YouTube channel “The Vegan Zombie,” and penning the subsequent cookbook. Cooney initially wrote the script by hand and revised it to fit a feature-length film after he was approached by award-winning director/writer Brooklyn Hudson. After leaving an unsatisfying career, Cooney started “The Vegan Zombie” as a way to combine his three passions: horror movies, filmmaking, and veganism. “I had to tackle my feelings of being shy,” Cooney told VegNews, “and do it in a way that was fun and entertaining.” In addition to writing A-44, Cooney will play the lead role, alongside several A-list celebrities (including an actor from cult-classic film E.T.) whose names will be disclosed in coming months. While the film will appeal to horror genre fans, Cooney says its underlying theme will stay true to his passion of promoting veganism, both on-screen and off. On-set, all products and services used for the film will be vegan, including catered food for cast and crew, makeup, and props, with several beloved vegan products making cameos on-screen. Cooney launched a Kickstarter campaign today to help cover production costs and plans to keep his YouTube channel updated during the filming of A-44, which will take place in Syracuse, NY. “Veganism is not a fad,” Cooney said. “I’ve seen it grow through two decades. I don’t ever want to quit.”

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