Legendary horror director George Romero’s final zombie apocalypse movie Twilight of the Dead has gotten an exciting production update: Roundtable Entertainment has made a deal to finance the film. A script by writers Joe Knetter, Robert Lucas, and Paolo Zelati has been completed, based on a film treatment they worked out with Romero before his death in 2017. Romero’s widow and estate manager Suzanne Romero has reportedly been in talks with a potential director for the project, and casting was said to have been taking place before the SAG-AFTRA Strike went into effect. Despite the strike, the team behind Twilight of the Dead is still aiming to start production in late 2023, with filming reportedly set to take place in Puerto Rico.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Producers of Twilight of the Dead include the aforementioned Suzanne Romero, along with John Baldecchi, Sarah Donnelly, Paolo Zelati, and Ardvella Entertainment’s Stephanie Caleb. Executive producers include Dominic Ianno, Alex Dundas, Jason Resnick, Chris Roe, and Luis Riefkohl.
In a statement to the press, Suzanne Romero said: “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!”
Roundtable’s Head of Scripted John Baldecchi also offered a statement, saying: “We’re thrilled to be working alongside Suzanne, Paolo, and Stephanie to bring the final installment of this epic series. It is the perfect ending to one of the greatest horror legacies of all time, with a powerful and timely message about how humanity is the cause of its own destruction, over and over and over again. There is a lot of excitement in the creative community to be involved and we’ll be making decisions on that shortly”.
What is Twilight of the Dead About?
Twilight of the Dead will “delve 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”.
It is said that George Romero made Twilight of the Dead the culminating chapter of his entire ‘Living Dead Saga,’ which began in 1968 with Night of the Living Dead. Since then, the Living Dead films have included six total films by Romero:
- Night of the Living Dead (1968)
- Dawn of the Dead (1978)
- Day of the Dead (1985)
- Land of the Dead (2005)
- Diary of the Dead (2007)
- Survival of the Dead (2009)
In addition to Romero’s core series, there have been two remakes of his works (Night and Dawn); at least six spin-off films, and numerous unauthorized works based on Romero’s vision. The complicated history of how Romero was and was not properly credited and rewarded for his work will make Twilight of the Dead an important “official” ending to the saga, for diehard fans.
Twilight of the Dead is looking to start filming in late 2023.
via: Deadline
