Summit Entertainment has released the first official images from Jonathan Levine's upcoming zombie flick WARM BODIES. The photo features Nicholas Hoult as a zombie named R, who becomes involved with the girlfriend (Teresa Palmer) of one of his victims. Quite romantic if you ask me. I'm a big fan of Jonathan Levine's previous films (50/50, The Wackness, All the Boys Love Mandy Lane) and Teresa Palmer and Nicholas Hoult make for a talented on-screen duo. The film is based on Isaac Marion's critically-acclaimed novel of the same name, which in turn is an expansion of his short story titled, "I Am a Zombie Filled With Love." The official synopsis for the film is quite detailed, but I love the how the film is described: "A genre-bending tale of love and transformation, WARM BODIES is a story about a boy who loves a girl…for more than just her body." Rob Corddry, John Malkovich, Dave Franco, Analeigh Tipton, and Cory Hardrict costar. Warm Bodies is expected to hit theaters August 10, 2012. First image from Collider and the rest are provided to us by Summit Entertainment.

A few terribly low-res images from USA Today

Full official synopsis: Zombies love people, especially their brains. But R (Nicholas Hoult) is different. He’s alive inside, unlike the hundreds of other grunting, drooling undead—all victims of a recent plague that drove the remaining survivors into a heavily guarded city. Now the Zombies roam about an airport terminal, searching for human prey and living in fear of the vicious Boneys, the next undead incarnation.

One day, R and his best friend M lumber toward the city in search of food. There, R first sets his eyes on JULIE (Teresa Palmer), a beautiful human. Determined to save her—first from the other Zombies and then from the Boneys—R hides her in his home, a cluttered 747 aircraft. Julie is terrified, and R’s grunted assurances of “Not…eat” do little to calm her. But when R begins to act more human than Zombie, coming to her defense, refusing to eat human flesh, and even speaking in full sentences, Julie realizes that R is special.

After a few close calls with the Boneys, and with her father mounting an armed search for her, Julie realizes she can’t hide forever. So she sneaks back home, leaving R broken-hearted. Desperate to see her, R decides to comb his hair, stand a little straighter, and impersonate a human long enough to get past the city guards. If only he can prove to the humans that Zombies can change, maybe R and Julie’s love might stand a chance. But with the rampaging Boneys heading toward the city and Julie’s father intent on killing R and his Zombie friends, the stage is set for an all-out battle between the living and the undead.

A genre-bending tale of love and transformation, WARM BODIES is a story about a boy who loves a girl…for more than just her body.

Previously released (unofficial) image: