Night of the Living Dead Franchise Expanding Into Podcast Series
Much like the iconic ghouls featured in Night of the Living Dead, the franchise continues to come back to life, with Deadline confirming that a new podcast series, The Dead, will be expanding on the world of the original George A. Romero film. The new podcast series will be co-produced by Bloody Disgusting and the George A. Romero Foundation. While no plot details about the series have emerged, the series is expected to consist of 24 episodes and Bloody Disgusting will be selecting the writers tasked with scripting the series, which "will tell new stories and expand characters from the universe." Stay tuned for details on The Dead.
"We strive to work with amazing storytellers, and George A. Romero is one of the best to ever bring horror to the screen. Our goal with this project is to introduce and support a new generation of horror writers who are influenced by George, while honoring and preserving his legacy through socially conscious horror," Tom Owen, co-founder of Bloody Disgusting, shared in a statement.
Suzanne Desrocher-Romero, founder and president of the George A. Romero Foundation, added, "The George A. Romero Foundation is delighted to partner with Bloody Disgusting to foster George's innovative legacy. This unique model opens up new opportunities for writers and encourages their creative spirit. Under the guidance of Bloody Disgusting, I know that the final stories produced will entertain us all."
The original 1968 film focused on a group of strangers who find themselves holed up in a farmhouse when monstrous corpses come back to life to feast on the living. Despite the word "zombie" not being used in the film, Night of the Living Dead is considered a seminal film in the zombie subgenre and largely set the standard formula for the archetype which the creatures adhere to. Romero would go on to helm the sequels Dawn of the Dead, Day of the Dead, and Land of the Dead, as well as other zombie films Diary of the Dead and Survival of the Dead.
Romero's world of zombies has been rife with storytelling potential, with the franchise already earning reboots, remakes, and spinoffs. While Romero has delivered canonical follow-ups to his debut film, each of which focused on new groups of characters at various points in time of the zombie evolution, last year saw the announcement that Nanny director Nikyatu Jusu was developing a sequel to the original film.
Stay tuned for details on The Dead.
Are you looking forward to the podcast series? Let us know in the comments or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things horror and Star Wars!