Twilight of the Dead — based on Romero’s treatment (D: Brad Anderson)
04-30-21 | 03:55 PM
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Twilight of the Dead — based on Romero’s treatment (D: Brad Anderson)
In 1968, filmmaker George A. Romero unleashed the zombie genre with Night of the Living Dead, a low-budget sensation that remains as relevant today as it was decades ago. The filmmaker went on to direct five more zombie features, including Dawn of the Dead (1978), Day of the Dead (1985) and Land of the Dead (2005). What few knew was that before he died of lung cancer at 77 in 2017, Romero was quietly developing Twilight of the Dead, a concluding chapter intended to be his final statement on the genre.
Now Suzanne Romero, widow of the filmmaker, is opening up about Twilight of the Dead and sharing her plans to take it to the screen. She has been developing the script with three screenwriters for the past few years and is ready to meet with directors on the project, which has this tantalizing logline: "The story is set in a decimated world. Life has all but disappeared. But there still may be hope for humanity."
George A. Romero wrote a treatment for Twilight of the Dead with Paolo Zelati. After the director's death, Zelati asked Suzanne Romero for permission to continue with the script. He brought on screenwriters Joe Knetter and Robert L. Lucas to help.
"I gave him my full blessing as long as I could be there every step of the way for it to remain true to George’s vision," says Suzanne Romero. "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."
Romero's 2005 film Land of the Dead introduced Big Daddy, an intelligent zombie leader, whose fate is left an open question at the end of the film. George A. Romero wanted an answer to what came next.
"Everything started with my question to him: 'Where do the zombies go at the end of Land of the Dead?'" says Zelati.
George A. Romero directed two more zombie films after Land of the Dead — 2007's Diary of the Dead and 2009's Survival of the Dead — but he did not consider those as part of the same overarching story that began with Night of the Living Dead.
"It is no secret that Diary and Survival were not the way he envisioned the series ending, and George knew it very well," notes Zelati. "Twilight of the Dead was his goodbye to the genre he created and wanted to go out with a powerful film."
As the three screenwriters worked, they also watched videos of George A. Romero coming up with the treatment.
"I could see how happy George was, almost giddy," recalls Knetter. "That made us focus even more on bringing this to life the way he would have wanted."
Lucas, a lifelong Romero fan, says "developing the final piece of the puzzle in the dead universe" was a dream come true.
Suzanne Romero is now ready for meetings to find the right director to complete George A. Romero's zombie saga.
"This is the film he wanted to make. And while someone else will carry the torch as the director, it is very much a George A. Romero film," says Suzanne Romero.
Suzanne Romero also runs the George A. Romero Foundation, which seeks to preserve the filmmaker's legacy and empower indie filmmakers. She is repped by Chris Roe Management.
Now Suzanne Romero, widow of the filmmaker, is opening up about Twilight of the Dead and sharing her plans to take it to the screen. She has been developing the script with three screenwriters for the past few years and is ready to meet with directors on the project, which has this tantalizing logline: "The story is set in a decimated world. Life has all but disappeared. But there still may be hope for humanity."
George A. Romero wrote a treatment for Twilight of the Dead with Paolo Zelati. After the director's death, Zelati asked Suzanne Romero for permission to continue with the script. He brought on screenwriters Joe Knetter and Robert L. Lucas to help.
"I gave him my full blessing as long as I could be there every step of the way for it to remain true to George’s vision," says Suzanne Romero. "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."
Romero's 2005 film Land of the Dead introduced Big Daddy, an intelligent zombie leader, whose fate is left an open question at the end of the film. George A. Romero wanted an answer to what came next.
"Everything started with my question to him: 'Where do the zombies go at the end of Land of the Dead?'" says Zelati.
George A. Romero directed two more zombie films after Land of the Dead — 2007's Diary of the Dead and 2009's Survival of the Dead — but he did not consider those as part of the same overarching story that began with Night of the Living Dead.
"It is no secret that Diary and Survival were not the way he envisioned the series ending, and George knew it very well," notes Zelati. "Twilight of the Dead was his goodbye to the genre he created and wanted to go out with a powerful film."
As the three screenwriters worked, they also watched videos of George A. Romero coming up with the treatment.
"I could see how happy George was, almost giddy," recalls Knetter. "That made us focus even more on bringing this to life the way he would have wanted."
Lucas, a lifelong Romero fan, says "developing the final piece of the puzzle in the dead universe" was a dream come true.
Suzanne Romero is now ready for meetings to find the right director to complete George A. Romero's zombie saga.
"This is the film he wanted to make. And while someone else will carry the torch as the director, it is very much a George A. Romero film," says Suzanne Romero.
Suzanne Romero also runs the George A. Romero Foundation, which seeks to preserve the filmmaker's legacy and empower indie filmmakers. She is repped by Chris Roe Management.
04-30-21 | 04:46 PM
#2
DVD Talk Hero
re: Twilight of the Dead — based on Romero’s treatment (D: Brad Anderson)
I’m probably in the minority but outside of the Night and Dawn Romero’s other “...of the Dead” movies are flat-out terrible. I’m actually somewhat optimistic that Romero only finished a treatment and not a completed screenplay.
I don’t have particularly high expectations for this but I’ll watch it regardless and I’m glad Romero’s vision will have the conclusion he wanted.
I don’t have particularly high expectations for this but I’ll watch it regardless and I’m glad Romero’s vision will have the conclusion he wanted.
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Abob Teff (08-02-23)
04-30-21 | 05:30 PM
#3
DVD Talk Limited Edition
re: Twilight of the Dead — based on Romero’s treatment (D: Brad Anderson)
I love Dawn, Night & Day in that order. Dawn is one of four films that I restarted immediately after it was over to watch it again.
Land is ok, Diary and Survival are really bad.
I wish I could say I’m looking forward to this, but I’ll wait until a director and cast are announced to make an final judgment.
Im more looking forward to Amusement Park which was recently unearthed.
Land is ok, Diary and Survival are really bad.
I wish I could say I’m looking forward to this, but I’ll wait until a director and cast are announced to make an final judgment.
Im more looking forward to Amusement Park which was recently unearthed.
05-01-21 | 04:19 AM
#5
DVD Talk Hero
re: Twilight of the Dead — based on Romero’s treatment (D: Brad Anderson)
I love Dawn, Night & Day in that order. Dawn is one of four films that I restarted immediately after it was over to watch it again.
Land is ok, Diary and Survival are really bad.
I wish I could say I’m looking forward to this, but I’ll wait until a director and cast are announced to make an final judgment.
Im more looking forward to Amusement Park which was recently unearthed.
Land is ok, Diary and Survival are really bad.
I wish I could say I’m looking forward to this, but I’ll wait until a director and cast are announced to make an final judgment.
Im more looking forward to Amusement Park which was recently unearthed.
Night, Dawn, and Day are pretty great films.
Land is the odd duck. It has a big budget and some big name actors, but still maintains that Romero feel from the first three films. But it's also the movie that pretty much ditched the continuity of the first three movies; it's pretty clear that this movie isn't connected to the original trilogy.
Diary and Survival are like junk you'd see on the SyFy Channel at two in the morning. It's hard to believe Romero had anything to do with them...
05-01-21 | 10:26 AM
#6
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08-02-23 | 02:34 PM
#7
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re: Twilight of the Dead — based on Romero’s treatment (D: Brad Anderson)
EXCLUSIVE: George A. Romero’s “final zombie movie” Twilight Of The Dead has got fresh impetus with producer-financier Roundtable Entertainment and a planned late 2023 start date in Puerto Rico.
The George A. Romero estate is teaming up with LA-based financier-producer Roundtable on the “seventh and final installment” of the seminal Living Dead franchise.
Horror icon Romero had written a treatment for the movie before he passed in 2017 and regarded Twilight Of The Dead as the conclusion to his epic saga, which comprised six movies and various spinoffs and remakes. The project was first revealed in 2021 but things have been quiet since then.
The script is now finished, having been taken on by Joe Knetter, Robert Lucas, and Paolo Zelati, who also worked on the treatment with Romero.
Set on a tropical island, we’re told Twilight Of The Dead will “delve into the dark nature of humanity from the perspective of the last humans on earth who are caught between factions of the undead”. True to the Romero oeuvre, it is being framed by the producers as “thought-provoking sociopolitical commentary wrapped in a genre piece”.
Romero’s 2005 movie Land Of The Dead introduced Big Daddy, an intelligent zombie leader, whose fate is left an open question at the end of that pic. The movie took $20M stateside for Universal and close to $50M globally.
The production team on Twilight Of The Dead, which includes the late filmmaker’s wife and estate manager Suzanne Romero, is in negotiations with a director, and was in talks with cast before the SAG-AFTRA strike hit. They are applying for an interim agreement.
The team also tells us they haven’t closed the door on the possibility of additional movies in a new franchise should this one go well.
Producing on Twilight Of The Dead are Suzanne Romero, John Baldecchi, Sarah Donnelly, Paolo Zelati and Ardvella Entertainment’s Stephanie Caleb, with executive producers set as Dominic Ianno, Alex Dundas, Jason Resnick, Chris Roe, and Luis Riefkohl.
Suzanne Romero said today: “I’m delighted to be joining forces with Roundtable to bring the eerie evolution of Romero’s universe to the screen. Roundtable impressed me with their long-term and deep love of George’s work. I believe they have the vision to produce the best version of this movie that honors the Romero legacy. I can’t wait to start filming!”
Roundtable’s Head of Scripted John Baldecchi (The Mexican) added: “We’re thrilled to be working alongside Suzanne, Paolo, and Stephanie to bring the final instalment of this epic series. It is the perfect ending to one of the greatest horror legacies of all time, with a powerful and timely message about how humanity is the cause of its own destruction, over and over and over again. There is a lot of excitement in the creative community to be involved and we’ll be making decisions on that shortly”.
Romero is considered one of the godfathers of the horror genre and famously created Night Of The Living Dead, the 1968 zombie classic that launched the genre that has nourished Hollywood ever since in countless zombie movies and series like The Walking Dead.
The Romero estate isn’t involved in the unnamed MGM sequel to Night Of The Living Dead [now public domain] which is in development with Nikyatu Jusu (Nanny) attached to direct.
Our update on Twilight Of The Dead comes soon after an injection of capital into Roundtable. We can reveal today that the company has recently had Series B funding led by investment management firm Klingenstein Fields, and with other participants including former Netflix exec Sean Carey, Black Rock executive Jason Ridloff, and Orchid Ventures principal Kim Bangash. Kevin Khanna has joined the company’s Board of Directors.
Klingenstein Fields also led the company’s Series A round, which included an equity swap with Cineverse.
Roundtable was launched 18 months ago by Dominic Ianno, John Baldecchi, Griffin Gmelich, and Alex Dundas. Projects in development include Gary Fleder pic Sacrament. The company is in pre-production on an unscripted series with Gavin Rossdale and is in post-production on horror All My Friends Are Dead, starring Jade Pettyjohn and JoJo Siwa. Roundtable was an executive producer on Mia McKenna Bruce pic Kindling.
The George A. Romero estate is teaming up with LA-based financier-producer Roundtable on the “seventh and final installment” of the seminal Living Dead franchise.
Horror icon Romero had written a treatment for the movie before he passed in 2017 and regarded Twilight Of The Dead as the conclusion to his epic saga, which comprised six movies and various spinoffs and remakes. The project was first revealed in 2021 but things have been quiet since then.
The script is now finished, having been taken on by Joe Knetter, Robert Lucas, and Paolo Zelati, who also worked on the treatment with Romero.
Set on a tropical island, we’re told Twilight Of The Dead will “delve into the dark nature of humanity from the perspective of the last humans on earth who are caught between factions of the undead”. True to the Romero oeuvre, it is being framed by the producers as “thought-provoking sociopolitical commentary wrapped in a genre piece”.
Romero’s 2005 movie Land Of The Dead introduced Big Daddy, an intelligent zombie leader, whose fate is left an open question at the end of that pic. The movie took $20M stateside for Universal and close to $50M globally.
The production team on Twilight Of The Dead, which includes the late filmmaker’s wife and estate manager Suzanne Romero, is in negotiations with a director, and was in talks with cast before the SAG-AFTRA strike hit. They are applying for an interim agreement.
The team also tells us they haven’t closed the door on the possibility of additional movies in a new franchise should this one go well.
Producing on Twilight Of The Dead are Suzanne Romero, John Baldecchi, Sarah Donnelly, Paolo Zelati and Ardvella Entertainment’s Stephanie Caleb, with executive producers set as Dominic Ianno, Alex Dundas, Jason Resnick, Chris Roe, and Luis Riefkohl.
Suzanne Romero said today: “I’m delighted to be joining forces with Roundtable to bring the eerie evolution of Romero’s universe to the screen. Roundtable impressed me with their long-term and deep love of George’s work. I believe they have the vision to produce the best version of this movie that honors the Romero legacy. I can’t wait to start filming!”
Roundtable’s Head of Scripted John Baldecchi (The Mexican) added: “We’re thrilled to be working alongside Suzanne, Paolo, and Stephanie to bring the final instalment of this epic series. It is the perfect ending to one of the greatest horror legacies of all time, with a powerful and timely message about how humanity is the cause of its own destruction, over and over and over again. There is a lot of excitement in the creative community to be involved and we’ll be making decisions on that shortly”.
Romero is considered one of the godfathers of the horror genre and famously created Night Of The Living Dead, the 1968 zombie classic that launched the genre that has nourished Hollywood ever since in countless zombie movies and series like The Walking Dead.
The Romero estate isn’t involved in the unnamed MGM sequel to Night Of The Living Dead [now public domain] which is in development with Nikyatu Jusu (Nanny) attached to direct.
Our update on Twilight Of The Dead comes soon after an injection of capital into Roundtable. We can reveal today that the company has recently had Series B funding led by investment management firm Klingenstein Fields, and with other participants including former Netflix exec Sean Carey, Black Rock executive Jason Ridloff, and Orchid Ventures principal Kim Bangash. Kevin Khanna has joined the company’s Board of Directors.
Klingenstein Fields also led the company’s Series A round, which included an equity swap with Cineverse.
Roundtable was launched 18 months ago by Dominic Ianno, John Baldecchi, Griffin Gmelich, and Alex Dundas. Projects in development include Gary Fleder pic Sacrament. The company is in pre-production on an unscripted series with Gavin Rossdale and is in post-production on horror All My Friends Are Dead, starring Jade Pettyjohn and JoJo Siwa. Roundtable was an executive producer on Mia McKenna Bruce pic Kindling.
08-02-23 | 03:11 PM
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re: Twilight of the Dead — based on Romero’s treatment (D: Brad Anderson)
Twilight of the Dead? So ... shiny vampires, werewolves, and zombies? 
Late saying it, but I'm with GoldenJCJ ... I've never been impressed with anything past the original. I appreciate what Romero was trying to say with them, but they are just too much a product of their times. (Sadly, I really liked the Dawn remake.)
Late saying it, but I'm with GoldenJCJ ... I've never been impressed with anything past the original. I appreciate what Romero was trying to say with them, but they are just too much a product of their times. (Sadly, I really liked the Dawn remake.)
08-03-23 | 10:21 AM
#9
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re: Twilight of the Dead — based on Romero’s treatment (D: Brad Anderson)
Twilight of the Dead? So ... shiny vampires, werewolves, and zombies?
Late saying it, but I'm with GoldenJCJ ... I've never been impressed with anything past the original. I appreciate what Romero was trying to say with them, but they are just too much a product of their times. (Sadly, I really liked the Dawn remake.)
Late saying it, but I'm with GoldenJCJ ... I've never been impressed with anything past the original. I appreciate what Romero was trying to say with them, but they are just too much a product of their times. (Sadly, I really liked the Dawn remake.)
09-08-23 | 08:27 AM
#10
Thread Starter
Moderator
re: Twilight of the Dead — based on Romero’s treatment (D: Brad Anderson)
George A. Romero’s “final zombie movie” Twilight of the Dead has found its director.
Brad Anderson will helm the film, the “seventh and final installment” of the Living Dead franchise, which is being produced and financed by multi-platform production company Roundtable Entertainment. Roundtable recently announced a partnership with the Romero estate to bring Twilight of the Dead to the screen. Shooting is expected to start later this year.
Romero and Paolo Zelati penned the treatment, with the screenplay written by Joe Knetter, Robert Lucas, and Zelati.
“George Romero’s 1968 classic Night of the Living Dead may have been the first real horror movie I ever saw and its shock value, its keen social relevance, and even the means by which it was made were all hugely inspirational to me,” said Anderson. “This too is a zombie movie in which limbs fly and heads roll, but one that is also about social transformation, one that asks the question: What is it to be human? It is also a horror movie with “heart” and, dare I say, hope.”
Twilight of the Dead is produced by Suzanne Romero, John Baldecchi, Ardvella Entertainment’s Stephanie Caleb, Zelati, and Sarah Donnelly, with executive producers Dominic Ianno, Alex Dundas, Jason Resnick, Chris Roe, and Luis Riefkohl. Stephanie Holbrook is casting the film.
Brad Anderson will helm the film, the “seventh and final installment” of the Living Dead franchise, which is being produced and financed by multi-platform production company Roundtable Entertainment. Roundtable recently announced a partnership with the Romero estate to bring Twilight of the Dead to the screen. Shooting is expected to start later this year.
Romero and Paolo Zelati penned the treatment, with the screenplay written by Joe Knetter, Robert Lucas, and Zelati.
“George Romero’s 1968 classic Night of the Living Dead may have been the first real horror movie I ever saw and its shock value, its keen social relevance, and even the means by which it was made were all hugely inspirational to me,” said Anderson. “This too is a zombie movie in which limbs fly and heads roll, but one that is also about social transformation, one that asks the question: What is it to be human? It is also a horror movie with “heart” and, dare I say, hope.”
Twilight of the Dead is produced by Suzanne Romero, John Baldecchi, Ardvella Entertainment’s Stephanie Caleb, Zelati, and Sarah Donnelly, with executive producers Dominic Ianno, Alex Dundas, Jason Resnick, Chris Roe, and Luis Riefkohl. Stephanie Holbrook is casting the film.
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IBJoel (09-08-23)
09-08-23 | 04:38 PM
#11
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Twilight of the Dead — based on Romero’s treatment (D: Brad Anderson)
Romero's Dead films have an odd trajectory.
The first three, Night, Dawn, and Day, are absolute classics.
Then, two decades later he returns to his zombies with Land of the Dead, which is kind of an odd hybrid. It certainly feels like a Romero gut muncher even though it has a lot of Hollywood polish and name actors in it.
But then he goes completely in the other direction with Diary of the Dead and Survival of the Dead, which come across more like low budget Romero knock-offs than films from the man himself. In some ways, it sort of feels like he came full circle... the original Night of the Living Dead was, itself, a low budget exploitation movie.
The first three, Night, Dawn, and Day, are absolute classics.
Then, two decades later he returns to his zombies with Land of the Dead, which is kind of an odd hybrid. It certainly feels like a Romero gut muncher even though it has a lot of Hollywood polish and name actors in it.
But then he goes completely in the other direction with Diary of the Dead and Survival of the Dead, which come across more like low budget Romero knock-offs than films from the man himself. In some ways, it sort of feels like he came full circle... the original Night of the Living Dead was, itself, a low budget exploitation movie.
09-08-23 | 04:43 PM
#12
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Twilight of the Dead — based on Romero’s treatment (D: Brad Anderson)
Good choice having Brad Anderson in there to direct.
09-08-23 | 05:22 PM
#13
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Twilight of the Dead — based on Romero’s treatment (D: Brad Anderson)
Like, if I were directing a film, I'm not sure I understand how to make ET, instead of Mac and Me.
If you enjoy this subject, you should watch "Best of the Worst" on YouTube.
09-08-23 | 07:02 PM
#14
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Twilight of the Dead — based on Romero’s treatment (D: Brad Anderson)
Some moves are just better made than others. Better actor. Better script. Better director. Better editor. Better DP. Better locations. Better special effects. But you can still have all of that and still make a shit movie.
You mentioned ET and Mac and Me. You could take the Mac and Me hand puppet, put it in ET, and ET will be a shit movie. But you could take ET from ET, put it in Mac and Me, and Mac and Me is still just as terrible as it was before.
09-08-23 | 08:44 PM
#15
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Twilight of the Dead — based on Romero’s treatment (D: Brad Anderson)
One of the stories I’ve heard about the making of ET was that Spielberg always treated ET as real around Drew Barrymore so she would always have the magical feel of his character.
I think there’s a level of concern and care from the production crew that can affect the final product.
I think there’s a level of concern and care from the production crew that can affect the final product.
09-08-23 | 09:08 PM
#16
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Twilight of the Dead — based on Romero’s treatment (D: Brad Anderson)
I’ve known crew member who worked on DTV movies who thought they were going to be a surprise breakthrough film and it ends up being hard to finish.
Terminator was basically a bad Roger Corman sci-fi movie. And it turns out we are still loving it 40 years later.
09-08-23 | 09:46 PM
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From: Formerly known as L. Ron zyzzle - On a cloud of Judgement
Re: Twilight of the Dead — based on Romero’s treatment (D: Brad Anderson)
“Better”? Is that better textbook skill? I don’t think so. I think it’s intangible.
I’ve known crew member who worked on DTV movies who thought they were going to be a surprise breakthrough film and it ends up being hard to finish.
Terminator was basically a bad Roger Corman sci-fi movie. And it turns out we are still loving it 40 years later.
I’ve known crew member who worked on DTV movies who thought they were going to be a surprise breakthrough film and it ends up being hard to finish.
Terminator was basically a bad Roger Corman sci-fi movie. And it turns out we are still loving it 40 years later.
11-01-24 | 07:08 PM
#18
Thread Starter
Moderator
Re: Twilight of the Dead — based on Romero’s treatment (D: Brad Anderson)
Milla Jovovich to star:
https://deadline.com/2024/11/milla-j...ad-1236164891/
https://deadline.com/2024/11/milla-j...ad-1236164891/
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gerrythedon (11-02-24)
