It took 50 years, but it looks like fans of the undead will finally get that much-anticipated and long-unproduced sequel to Night of the Living Dead in 2019.
What a way to ring in a 50th anniversary with news of another piece to the George A. Romero (R.I.P.) zombie puzzle via Living Dead Media! In a recent interview with, officials stated:
“Night of the Living Dead first brought zombies to the silver screen in 1968. The world was unprepared for the film’s flesh starved ghouls, which resulted in a groundbreaking and commercial success,” stated an official with Living Dead Media in an interview with Bloody Disgusting. “It remains one of the most influential and revered horror films of all time and now sits in the Library of Congress and the Museum of Modern Art for its cultural significance. Written by John A. Russo and directed by George A. Romero, Night of the Living Dead created the foundation for the five ‘Return of the Living Dead’ films that gave us Tarman and his famous catch phrase ‘More Brains!’, popularizing brain-eating zombies and defining the modern dark comedy-horror genre in the process. Romero’s Trilogy of the Dead series also owes its roots to the classic. In addition, Night of the Living Dead is not only credited with spawning a generation of zombie films, but all modern horror films.”
The quote goes on to state the obvious in Night of the Living Dead taking its rightful spot on the Mt. Rushmore of horror films, but does offer the exciting quite, ‘… Unknown to most is that in the 1970s, the original writers and producers of Night of the Living Dead penned a sequel to their masterpiece.’ This unproduced sequel will have the ‘dirt brushed away’ and serve as a follow-up to the classic, under some of the original production team, and will release as Night of the Living Dead Part II.
As previously quoted, following the initial release of 1968’s Night of the Living Dead, Romero also directed 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), all of which were standalone films and not directly related to the original film, which puts a sequel in extremely rare company within the horror legend’s resume. He also has credits for writing in numerous attempts at reboots, that he did not produce or direct, including some recent films like Night of the Living Dead 3D Dead and Day of the Dead: Bloodline.
Not enough zombie for you? You should check out Romero’s recent work with Marvel in which he wrote a three-part series called, Empire of the Dead. However, we could be in for so much more, considering the recent news that Romero left behind over 50 scripts!
No news yet on casting and production for Night of the Living Dead Part II, but make sure to check back, but also stay tuned to nightofthelivingdead.com for updates regarding the upcoming film.
With that said, are you ready for the next installment of classical zombie cinema? Should the string-pullers keep it in the family and do a black-and-white film? Could this be the fix in a world that has lost touch in regard to the zombie genre? Let us know in the comments section below.
