There will always be zombie movies. But there won’t always be George A. Romero zombie movies. He’s the godfather of the living dead. And now, his mega saga is finally coming to a close with one final film titled Twilight of the Dead.
George A. Romero passed away in 2017, but he wasn’t quite finished with his popular flesh-eating franchise, which started in 1968 with Night of the Living Dead and now ends its run with seven films.
Twilight of the Dead, the long-awaited final zombie story conceived by the legendary filmmaker, has finally finished filming nearly a decade after Romero’s death. Deadline reports that production wrapped in Kentucky this past September, bringing a project that has spent years stuck in various stages of development hell one giant step closer to actually reaching movie theaters (wonder what this popcorn bucket is going to look like?).
Considering the subject matter, there is something wonderfully appropriate about watching Romero’s final zombie movie claw its way back to life. He developed the story for Twilight of the Dead with Paolo Zelati before his death. The project was publicly revealed in 2021, with Zelati, Joe Knetter and Robert L. Lucas developing the screenplay from Romero’s treatment. The movie is being made with the support of Romero’s estate.
Kate Beckinsale now leads the cast, taking over the role after Milla Jovovich was previously attached to star. That’s probably for the best, as we’ve already watched Milla battle zombies in her umpteen Resident Evil movies. I’m quite well aware that Beckinsale has battled werewolves and draculas in her Underworld franchise. So this won’t be much of a stretch for her.
Betty Gabriel, Abigail London, John D. Hickman, Cooper Barnes, Jessi Fisher, Kendra Singleton, Beth Cardwell and Sandy E. Scott are also appearing in the film.
This brain-chomping thriller has gone through more than one resurrection along the way. Brad Anderson was previously attached to direct, but Doron Paz and Yoav Paz, the brothers behind Jeruzalem and The Golem, ultimately took over. Ho Sung Pak is directing the stunt and action sequences.
There is also a particularly cool Romero connection lurking behind the camera. Greg Nicotero is handling the special effects, bringing the project full circle to one of the most important relationships in Romero’s career. Nicotero got his start working with Romero on Day of the Dead and later became one of the defining creative forces behind The Walking Dead.
The story takes place on a devastated Earth where the last surviving humans are caught between warring factions while also facing an evolving undead threat. In other words, Romero’s zombies are still doing what they have always done best: making humanity look like its own worst enemy.
That’s been one of the defining ideas running through Romero’s Dead movies since Night of the Living Dead arrived in 1968. He followed it with Dawn of the Dead, Day of the Dead, Land of the Dead, Diary of the Dead and Survival of the Dead, using the undead apocalypse to take increasingly sharp swings at everything from consumerism and class divisions to war, media and human stupidity.
Twilight of the Dead was conceived as the conclusion to that saga, although “final” apparently comes with a small asterisk. According to Deadline, the producers have not ruled out additional movies that could launch a new franchise if this one succeeds.
For now, though, Romero’s final planned zombie story has survived the most difficult part: actually getting made. Magenta Light Studios holds the North American rights and plans to release Twilight of the Dead theatrically in the United States and Canada. The Syndicate is handling international sales, but there is currently no release date.
So after years of false starts, changing directors, changing stars and the death of the filmmaker who started it all, Twilight of the Dead is finally real.
George A. Romero may not have been there to yell “Action!” But nearly 60 years after Night of the Living Dead helped redefine the modern zombie movie, his final undead nightmare has finally risen.
