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The franchise that practically gave birth to the zombie genre will be returning forone more installment withTwilight of the Dead, which will serve as the final posthumous screenwriting credit of visionary filmmakerGeorge A. Romero. Romero is widely considered by those in the horror community and beyond as one of the most influential figures in the genre. The cultural importance and significance of his debut feature film,Night of the Living Dead, indeed cannot be understated. It’s one of the first films to popularize zombie outbreaks as a narrative device and was one of many vital works to change the way independent filmmaking was perceived during the late 1960s. Plus, it’s a prime example of how films with fantastical concepts can still have real-world themes, withracism being a prime theme within the influential work (despite that not necessarily being the intent). Suffice it to say, whatever your favorite zombie movie, show, or video game is, it likely would not exist withoutNight of the Living Dead.
TheLiving Deadseries stands right alongside theGodzillamovies and the Universal Monster films as one of the oldest examples of franchise filmmaking, to which Romero dedicated several decades of his life.Night of the Living Deadwould spawn more than a few sequels withDawn of the Dead,Day of the Dead,Land of the Dead,Diary of the Dead, andSurvival of the Dead. Now, despite Romero’s passing in 2017, his flagship series will conclude over half a century later withTwilight of the Dead, much of which was written by the horror icon. To learn more about the final installment of George A. Romero’sLiving Deadfranchise and its director, plot, production status, and more, here is everything we know so far aboutTwilight of the Dead.
Though the script forTwilight of the Deadis completed and a director is attached, the seventh and finalLiving Deadfilm is still in early development. While the odds of production beginning soon are possible, filming likely won’t be able to begin until theongoing SAG-AFTRA strikeis resolved. As a result of these factors, no release date has been given at this time.
With no official release date in sight, we also don’t know what format the film will be released in at this time. A theatrical release is certainly possible, but a straight-to-streaming release wouldn’t be out of the question either.
In September 2023, a director was selected to fill Romero’s shoes as the director ofTwilight of the Dead. That individual isBrad Anderson, who previously directedSession 9,Transsiberian, andThe Machinist. Anderson has also worked on several television projects, with some taking place in the DC Universe withTitansandPeacemaker. The story was developed by George A. Romero prior to the filmmaker’s passing in 2017. Romero still has a writing credit, and the script treatment was also worked on byJoe Knetter(That’s a Wrap),Robert L. Lucas(One for the Fire: The Legacy of ‘Night of the Living Dead’), andPaolo Zelati(The Profane Exhibit).Twilight of the Deadwill be executive-produced byAlex Dundas(Legacy),Dominic Ianno(Soul Surfer),Jason Resnick(The Strangers: Prey at Night),Luis A. Riefkohl(Replicas), andChris Roe(The Employer).
Filming and production onTwilight of the Deadhas not begun at the time of this writing, so it will be a little while before fans of this long-running saga get a glimpse at the franchise’s grand finale.
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Plot details forTwilight of the Deadhave been rather slim, with the only piece of key information available on the project being that it will be the final film in theLiving Deadsaga. Roundtable Entertainment Holdings Head of Scripted,John Baldecchi, confirmed this in the following statement, which also expresses great excitement in this “perfect” final chapter:
“We’re thrilled to be working alongside Suzanne, Paolo, and Stephanie to bring the final installment 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”.
The cast forTwilight of the Deadhas not been announced despite casting directorStephanie Holbrook(Servant) being attached to the project. It’s possible some casting decisions have been made but haven’t been announced due to the rules of the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike. More than likely, the upcoming finale for theLiving Deadfranchise will feature a brand-new cast of survivors as they face off against the undead hordes since the series has always primarily been ananthology franchisethat tells a disconnected story each time, despite them taking place in the same world.
Filming onTwilight of the Deadlikely won’t begin until the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike is finally concluded, as the actors of the institution are still fighting for fair and equal compensation in the entertainment industry at the time of this writing.
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The originalNight of the Living Deadfilm is an interesting case, as when it was initially released, a clerical error accidentally placed the film in the public domain. This means that the film’s rights are not held by any studio or company and can effectively be watched anywhere. Consequently,Night of the Living Deadis available to stream on over a dozen platforms, making it easier than ever to see this industry-changing masterpiece. However, the same cannot be said for the many sequels ofNight of the Living Dead. Currently, the franchise’s second film,Dawn of the Dead(not to be confused with the2004 remake directed byZack Snyder), is unavailable to stream online. You can find where to stream all the other films below:
