George Romero's Twilight of the Dead is being resurrected with special effects guru Greg Nicotero

Day of the Dead (1985)

It’s been almost ten years since George A. Romero, the Father of the Zombie Film, passed away, leaving behind an unshakeable, undead legacy. This summer, his last project is getting reanimated. 

With 1968’s Night of the Living Dead, which started his “Living Dead” franchise, Romero introduced one of cinema’s most iconic creatures; zombie flesh eaters (not to be confused with one of the alternate titles of Lucio Fulci’s Zombi 2).

The films in the franchise consist of 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) and Survival of the Dead (2009).

Twilight of the Dead was originally drafted by Romero, wanting to return to the idea of zombies developing reasoning skills, a concept introduced in Land of the Dead. Ironically, “Twilight of the Dead” was one of the working titles for that film.

Sadly, Romero passed away from lung cancer in 2017, stopping any pre-production. Fortunately, it was revived in 2021 by his wife Suzanne, with production planned for 2025. 

The project went through a few hurdles that delayed production, including the 2023 SAG-AFTRA Strike and replacement of director Brad Anderson (Session 9) with directing brothers Doron and Yoav Paz (The Golemn). But ten years beyond the grave, Romero’s final vision for the Living Dead is reanimating. 

Zombies, as resurrected corpses, have been featured in cinema before 1968, but the concept of them consuming flesh came from Romero’s brain. Needless to say, this concept has held strong to this day. In addition to news of Day of the Dead's recent 4k upgrade, the long-awaited conclusion to the Living Dead franchise is set to begin production this summer, with long-time Romero collaborator Greg Nicotero heading the special effects team. Underworld’s Kate Beckinsale has been cast in a lead role, replacing veteran zombie movie actress Milla Jovovich. 

The film is described as being “set on a decimated Earth where the last vestiges of humanity are trapped between warring factions and an evolving undead threat.”

This premise is on track with Romero’s original idea, which centered on humans caught between zombie “factions” on an island. It was always intended to be the final installment in the franchise.

Greg Nicotero is a legend in horror. His experience and long-time relationship with Romero should guarantee both a heavy resurrection and tribute to the legendary zombie franchise. 

Twilight of the Dead does not currently have a release date.