George Romero’s Son Moving Forward With ‘Night of the Living Dead’ Prelude Film

For nearly 50 years, Night of the Living Dead has inspired filmmakers in countless ways and also birthed the contemporary concept of a “zombie.” The film has received multiple official sequels, but the late George Romero‘s son, Cameron Romero, has recently confirmed he intends to move forward with a prelude to the classic film with Rise of the Living Dead.

Cameron originally launched an IndieGoGo campaign back in 2014 and raised $30,000 for the project that was then known as “Origins.” The filmmaker took to his personal Facebook to announce more details about the project, including its new official name.

“Many of you know that I have been working to tell a story for many years,” Romero posted. “My dad read the script and called it ‘genius.’ Many have approached me about making this film and I’ve said no to many because even though I’m not a ‘precious’ artist, this one is special… this one is mine… this one… is my love letter to my dad… to his work… to the fact that he was once called the most dangerous filmmaker alive… to the fact that society in 1968 wanted to shut him up as much as they wanted to celebrate him.”

“This one is the prelude to Night, the film that created the pop culture phenomenon that has inspired thousands of filmmakers from backyard auteurs to $180M features to the single longest running and most successful show in the history of television,” he added. “This one has been a long time coming. And it is my absolute promise to you all that this film will be everything it needs to be.”

Romero also clarified in his comments that this film would not be a “prequel.”

“It’s my prelude. Some may call it a fine line but there is a big difference,” he noted.

It’s unclear exactly what this distinction could mean, with the common usage of a “prequel” signifying that a film takes place before the events of a film that has previously been released. The distinction of a “prelude” could potentially mean the film is set in the same universe but only has a tangential connection to the original movie.

In addition to this prelude, the Romero legacy will continue with Road of the Dead, a film which George was developing shortly before his passing earlier this summer.

[H/T Facebook]