George A. Romero changed the way cinephiles looked at both zombies and shopping malls — and the horror movie maestro’s legacy lives on. Judging from their exemplary Rotten Tomato scores, critics and audiences alike agree that the seminal film, Night of the Living Dead, and its first sequel, Dawn of the Dead (1978), are both masterpieces of American cinema. What started with one low-budget ($116,000) horror film in 1968 turned into one of the most enduring zombie franchises of all time.
And there’s still one final story to tell in the Dead series. According to an exclusive by Deadline, Twilight of the Dead will start production later this year.
Check out a synopsis of Twilight of the Dead below:
“[Twilight Of The Dead] delve[s] into the dark nature of humanity from the perspective of the last humans on Earth who are caught between factions of the undead. True to the Romero oeuvre, it is being framed by the producers as ‘thought-provoking sociopolitical commentary wrapped in a genre piece.”
On August 2, it was officially announced that the estate of George A. Romero joined forces with Roundtable Entertainment to make Twilight of the Dead. The seventh installment in the Dead film series is being shot in Puerto Rico and is set on a tropical island. George A. Romero passed away on July 16, 2017, but his idea for the new movie lives on.
Related: Why George Romero Movies Aren’t Just About the Horror of Zombies
Twilight of the Dead Is Coming
United Film Distribution Company
George A. Romero’s Twilight of the Dead is happening. Romero’s widow, Susan, heads the family’s estate. She and the producers were trying to find a director to helm the project, but the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) strikes have temporarily stalled the process. Twilight of the Dead will be the first film in the series not to be directed by George A. Romero. However, the team behind the sixth sequel to Night of the Living Dead is taking the proper steps to receive an interim agreement.
Susan Romero said in the same report published by Deadline:
“I’m delighted to be joining forces with Roundtable to bring the eerie evolution of Romero’s universe to the screen. Roundtable impressed me with their long-term and deep love of George’s work. I believe they have the vision to produce the best version of this movie that honors the Romero legacy. I can’t wait to start filming!”
Twilight of the Dead is based on a treatment that Romero wrote prior to his death in 2017. And while the seventh entry in the Dead series was first mentioned back in 2021, it’s taken over two years for the project to finally see the light of day. The screenplay was penned by a trio of creative talents, including Joe Knetter, Robert Lucas, and Paolo Zelati. Zelati also serves as one of the film’s producers.
On April 4, 1968, Romero completed filming Night of the Living Dead. On that very same day, he threw the reels to his zombie flick into the trunk of his car and started driving with the hope that some theaters might actually play his movie immediately. During the trip, the news came over the radio that Martin Luther King Jr. had been shot and killed at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee — the film’s theatrical release came later in October of that same year. Despite the franchise’s ominous beginnings, George A. Romero’s vision completely redefined the zombie landscape in American cinema and is still going strong some 55 years after it all began.
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