Since the release of his first film in 1968, the name George A. Romero has been synonymous with the horror genre. That film was Night of the Living Dead, an independent zombie film written and directed by Romero that would lay the foundation for decades of movies to come despite how ahead of its time it might’ve been. Even down to the movie poster with the promotional display for Night of the Living Dead embodying many of the elements that have been present in horror films for countless years; the film’s success would additionally set a financial precedent for any horror film to come after it, generating $30 million in box offices globally on a budget of roughly $100,000. With those types of numbers it’s obvious why Romero is so highly regarded amongst horror aficionados, however it doesn’t do his films fair justice. Romero’s zombie films are amongst the most highly regarded horror movies ever made and have cemented the director’s legacy in horror for the rest of history, however it looks like his legacy has not entirely run its course: Romero’s final zombie movie Twilight of the Dead is entering production with his widow Susan Romero at the behest.
Both the film industry and horror genre took an equal blow with Romero’s passing in July of 2017 following a battle with lung cancer. The director seemingly had one last treat in store for his fans however, fleshing out the concept behind a new installment to his zombie franchise with Paolo Zelati. Following the director’s death Zelati received permission from his widow to develop the script based upon Romero’s ideas, and a few short years later Romero’s widow would be shopping the script throughout Hollywood. When asked about the film, Suzanne Romero noted that her husband had wished for Twilight of the Dead to be his “final stamp on the zombie genre” and that they are doing everything in their power to preserve the iconic director’s vision.
In total, Romero directed a total of six Dead films with the latter three coming in the first decade of the 21st century. Questions surrounding the endings of those films leave open the opportunity for Twilight of the Dead, which will seek to answer those questions and close the door on the horrifying universe the director crafted throughout his career. The film’s production is still in its infantile stages so it is unclear who will direct or star in the upcoming project, however a chance to work on George Romero’s final project could generate a lot of interest throughout Hollywood. Only time can tell, and until those questions can be answered we will have to continue to patiently await the final zombie film from the brain of none other than George A. Romero.
