Late “Night of the Living Dead” creator George A. Romero has one final film in the works.
Romero, who died in 2017 at age 77 after battling lung cancer, wrote a treatment for film “Twilight of the Dead” before passing away. Per Romero’s estate, the film is the “seventh and final installment” in the “Living Dead” franchise. The project was first revealed in 2021, but Deadline reported that newly relaunched Roundtable Entertainment is now moving forward with production and applying for a SAG-AFTRA waiver amid the strike for a slated late 2023 start date. The waiver would allow production to happen in spite of SAG-AFTRA work stoppage orders.
Romero’s widow Suzanne Romero, who will produce the film, said in a statement, “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 set on a tropical island and 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,” per the official logline teased to Deadline. The film is being billed as a “thought-provoking sociopolitical commentary wrapped in a genre piece” in line with Romero’s signature style, as embodied by 1968 zombie classic “Night of the Living Dead.”
The script was completed by Joe Knetter, Robert Lucas, and Paolo Zelati, who also worked on the treatment with Romero. The film presumably will pick up where 2005’s “Land of the Dead” left off.
The George A. Romero estate is also open to continuing the “Living Dead” films beyond “Twilight of the Dead” depending on its success. Producers include Suzanne Romero, John Baldecchi, Sarah Donnelly, Paolo Zelati and Ardvella Entertainment’s Stephanie Caleb, with executive producers Dominic Ianno, Alex Dundas, Jason Resnick, Chris Roe, and Luis Riefkohl.
Roundtable Head of Scripted John Baldecchi said in a statement, “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.”
To note, the Romero estate is not affiliated with the upcoming MGM sequel to “Night of the Living Dead,” which is now public domain. “Nanny” Sundance winner Nikyatu Jusu is attached to direct.
