Zombieland Cameo

Zombieland Cameo

Woody Harrelson and Jesse Eisenberg head for Hollywood in "Zombieland," hoping to reach a rumored holy-grail in a world increasingly overtaken by the undead - a themepark that has somehow remained zombie-free. But when they get there, they apparently become star-struck, get maps to celebrities' homes, and end up shacking up with a major star whose cameo - playing himself - steals the movie, according to early reviews. (The film officially arrives in theaters on Friday).

Not the writers' first choice, according to ShockTillYouDrop.com. The Web site reports that screenwriters Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick initially had their sights on Patrick Swayze, who passed away on Sept. 14 after battling pancreatic cancer. "That was many years ago, before he got sick," Reese said. The writers' grand plan was to have Swayze play a zombie version of himself who picked a fight with Woody Harrelson's character, Tallahassee, who would have lifted him into the air in a "Dirty Dancing" moment as they sparred. The scene also would have shown the undead Swayze coming up behind Eisenberg's character, Columbus, at a potter's wheel, a reference to his film "Ghost."

When Swayze did not pan out, they approached a laundry list of other actors, including Sylvester Stallone, Joe Pesci, Mark Hammill, The Rock, Kevin Bacon, Jean-Claude Van Damme, and Matthew McConaughey, according to the Web site. But fans will be thrilled that none of those names wound up in the movie. We won't reveal the secret here. If you're still curious, head to theaters and see for yourself.