Kate Beckinsale is now set to star in Twilight Of The Dead – billed as the ‘final chapter’ in George A Romero’s zombie saga. George A Romero may have sadly passed away years ago, but the franchise he created still walks the earth. The Pittsburgh filmmaker, who transformed modern horror with Night Of The Living ... Night Of The Living Dead still getting a ‘final’ sequel; Kate Beckinsale to star
Kate Beckinsale is now set to star in Twilight Of The Dead – billed as the ‘final chapter’ in George A Romero’s zombie saga.
George A Romero may have sadly passed away years ago, but the franchise he created still walks the earth.
The Pittsburgh filmmaker, who transformed modern horror with Night Of The Living Dead in 1968, had been working on a further sequel, Twilight Of The Dead, before he died in 2017. In the aftermath, the Romero estate has kept the project going – at one stage, The Machinist director Brad Anderson was going to direct.
According to Deadline, it’s full steam ahead for what’s billed as the ‘final chapter’ in Romero’s long-running zombie saga. The Paz Brothers, directors of The Golem, Plan A and another undead flick, JeruZalem, are now at the helm.
The Z-quel also has a new star: Kate Beckinsale is taking over from Milla Jovovich. Beckinsale’s Underworld franchise past, plus the addition of stunt coordinator Ho Sung Pak (of Bullet Train fame) makes us wonder if Twilight Of The Dead will have a bit more action in it than some earlier entries.
In a 2023 report, there was talk of Twilight being set on a tropical island; it’s unclear whether that’s changed, but Deadline’s new plot summary simply says it’s set on a “decimated earth” with humans having broken down into “warring factions and an evolving undead threat.”
Romero made five sequels to Night Of The Living Dead over the course of about 40 years. Dawn Of The Dead (1978) and Day Of The Dead (1985) are scruffy horror classics. The 2000s films – Land, Diary and Survival – were a mixed bag, but always had something of worth in them. Romero was never a filmmaker to obsess over the technical details of film production, but his ideas – and twisted imagination – made him one of the most important storytellers in 20th century horror.
There have been a few false starts for Twlight, seemingly due to problems with financing. It’s now at the Cannes Film Market looking for financing and distribution. We’ll keep you posted as things develop.
