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Exclusive First Look: 'Warm Bodies' Poster Plays It Cool

'It's got a sense of humor about itself, and yet it's got heart,' director Jonathan Levine tells MTV News of the movie art.

For those of you who like your love stories told in quirky, creative ways -- perhaps with a hint of Shakespeare and set in a zombie apocalypse -- "Warm Bodies" is your must-see movie of 2013.

Based on Isaac Marion's popular novel of the same name, the story revolves around the unlikely bond between R (Nicholas Hoult), a well-adjusted zombie, and Julie (Teresa Palmer), a human he rescues from a zombie attack. Their connection sets off a surprising and often comical chain of events that begin to transform other zombies and bring life to an otherwise lifeless world.

Intrigued yet? Perhaps the first look at the poster for the film, as well as a chat with director Jonathan Levine ("50/50," "The Wackness"), will help seal the deal!

Click here for the full poster!

The poster does a nice job of showcasing the film's unique, slightly whimsical tone, in that it features Hoult standing all zombie-like -- slightly hunched over with a blank expression on his face -- along with the tagline "Cold Body, Warm Heart," which is written in bold white lettering over a blood-red background with a big, white bleeding heart behind Hoult's head.

"I think it captures the tone of the movie really nicely," Levine told MTV News. "It's iconic, it's irreverent, it's got a sense of humor about itself, and yet it's got heart. I'm really happy with it, and I can't wait to see it on a subway or billboard. It's very striking.

"I think the main thing we want people to know is that it's not trying to be trendy or popular. It's widely unique in its tone, and it's a very character-driven story," he continued. "To me, that's what I really want people to take away from it, and at the same time, we want people to know it's going to be fun and unique and it's not going to be derivative."

Levine said that even though this is a love story that involves zombies, he hopes people don't try to put the film into one category and that the zombie enthusiasts will be open to a new twist on the genre.

"I think this movie takes the mythology in a different direction, and I think there is a lot there for die-hard zombie fans," he explained. "We're encouraging people to be open-minded, because it does take some liberties with the mythology, but at the same time, it's very grounded in the science of zombie-ism and uses that as a springboard for a more fantastical story. It may be divisive, but I think there's a lot there for zombie fans if they're open-minded to a new take on it, and I hope they can. To me, that's one of the great things about having these genre films," he added. "You can take something familiar and turn it into a whole new direction."

Finally, what does author Isaac Marion think of the finished product?

"I brought him into the cutting room a couple months ago, so he saw it and was very pleased," Levine said. "I read on Twitter the other day that he's doing a sequel to the book, which I think is awesome, but I was incredibly nervous to show it to him. Luckily he was very positive about it. He's been very supportive, and I think he's really happy with it, which is a big relief for me."

"Warm Bodies" opens everywhere February 1, 2013.

Check out everything we've got on "Warm Bodies."

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