The legendary George A. Romero will bring us his final Zombie movie... from beyond the grave!
The filmmaker passed away in 2017 after a battle with lung cancer, but he had been working on a script for what was to be the conclusion of a saga that began all the way back in 1968 with low-budget classic, Night of the Living Dead.
Back in 2021, we got word that Twilight of the Dead was officially in the works with Brad Anderson (Session 9, The Machinist) set to direct and Milla Jovovich (Resident Evil) to star. Now, Deadline reports that the project has been given a major overhaul, with Underworld star Kate Beckinsale stepping in to play the lead, and The Paz Brothers, Doron and Yoav Paz, (The Golem, Plan A) taking over as co-directors.
The story is “set on a decimated earth where the last vestiges of humanity are trapped between warring factions and an evolving undead threat”.
Executive producers include Stephanie Caleb, Roundtable’s Alex Dundas and Jason Resnick, Josh Kagan, Sean Carey, Stu Snyder, Hakim Bangash, Victor Ianno, Streamline Global’s Emily Hunter Salveson, Jamie Thompson, Brian Skiba, Jeff Elliott, and Aanaxion’s Bong-Seob Mun, Bang-Ok Joo. Young-Joo Ji, Sung-Il Ahn, and Kwang Jin Kim.
“We’re thrilled to have Kate Beckinsale starring in Twilight of the Dead. Her extraordinary talent, emotional range, and commanding screen presence make her the perfect actress to lead a final chapter worthy of George’s legacy.” said Roundtable’s John Baldecchi.
“Stepping into Romero’s world is the ultimate privilege for any genre filmmaker,” the Paz Brothers said in a joint statement. “This is more than a continuation, it’s a responsibility. We are committed to honoring his voice while delivering a visceral, terrifying, impactful experience for today’s audience that resonates beyond the screen.”
“George Romero is one of the most successful and influential creatives in the horror and genre space, and his final film deserves to be experienced on the big screen,” commented Bob Yari, CEO of Magenta Light Studios. “We’re proud to partner with his estate and the filmmakers to bring Twilight of the Dead to audiences. As a standout addition to Magenta Light Studios’ growing film catalog, we are committed to delivering a thrilling theatrical experience for fans who have been waiting years for this conclusion.”
George's widow, Suzanne Romero, has been developing the script with screenwriters Joe Knetter, Robert L. Lucas and Paolo Zelati - who worked on the original treatment with Romero prior to his death - for the past few years.
"I gave [Zelati] my full blessing as long as I could be there every step of the way for it to remain true to George’s vision," said Suzanne in a previous statement. "We had a solid treatment and the beginning of the script. I can 100 percent say that George would be incredibly happy to see this continue. He wanted this to be his final stamp on the zombie genre."
Though Romero helmed 2007's Diary of the Dead and 2009's Survival of the Dead, he never considered them to be part of the same overarching story that began with Night, so Twilight is set to pick up after the events of 2005's Land of the Dead.
"It is no secret that Diary and Survival were not the way he envisioned the series ending and George knew it very well," said Zelati. "Twilight of the Dead was his goodbye to the genre he created and wanted to go out with a powerful film."