Lupita Nyong'o, Josh Gad to star in zombie comedy 'Little Monsters'

Lupita Nyong'o, best supporting actress nominee for her role in "12 Years a Slave" and wearing a Prada gown, arrives at the 86th Academy Awards in Hollywood, California, March 2, 2014.REUTERS/Adrees Latif

Lupita Nyong'o and Josh Gad have been enlisted to star in the upcoming zombie romantic comedy "Little Monsters." They will be joined by Australian actor Alexander England.

The film, which is currently being produced in Sydney, follows Dave (England), a washed-up musician who volunteers to chaperone his kindergarten nephew on a class field trip. This is after he met the boy's teacher, Miss Caroline (Nyong'o), with whom he was attracted to at first sight. His plans, however, will be derailed by the arrival of Teddy McGiggle (Gad), who apparently is a very popular personality among children. The two men will compete for Miss Caroline's attention, but not for long.

Their love triangle will be disrupted by a sudden zombie attack, and Dave and Miss Caroline will have to protect the children from the walking undead.

According to Deadline, the film, which received major production investment from Screen Australia and Create NSW, will be helmed by writer-director Abe Forsythe. It will be produced by Keith and Jess Calder from Snoot Entertainment as well as Bruna Papandrea, Jodi Matterson and Steve Hutensky from Made Up Stories. It will be executively produced by Jeanne Snow, while Protagonist Pictures will manage international sales.

"We have been longtime fans of Lupita's and Josh's extraordinary work, and we are thrilled that they have come on board alongside Alex," Papandrea said in an official statement.

Nyong'o rose to fame in the 2013 award-winning movie "12 Years a Slave," where she won an Oscar for her supporting role as Patsey. She is only the 15th actress to win an Academy Award in her film debut. Fans will be able to see her back on the big screen soon enough as she stars as Maz Kanata in "Star Wars: The Last Jedi."

Gad, on the other hand, can be currently seen in the biopic "Marshall" and will be back before the year ends as Hector MacQueen on "Murder on the Orient Express."