Three years ago, it was announced that Nikyatu Jusu, who had just made her feature directorial debut with the horror film Nanny, would be directing a sequel to George A. Romero’s 1968 classic Night of the Living Dead (watch it HERE), with MGM acquiring the worldwide distribution rights and planning a theatrical release for the film. That was the last we heard of it… and now it has been confirmed that the project is “currently in limbo.”
This Night of the Living Dead sequel was coming to us from Romero’s ex-wife Christine Romero, the late George A. Romero’s Sanibel Films, Origin Story, Vertigo, and Westbrook Studios. Romero is the creative overseer on the project, producing alongside Village Roadshow’s Jillian Apfelbaum, Nic Gordon, and Tristen Tuckfeld, Origin Story’s Ryan Silbert, Vertigo’s Andrew Childs, Westbrook Studios’ Jon Mone and Ryan Shimazaki, and Sanibel Films’ Tina Romero, who is George and Christine’s daughter (and has made her own zombie movie, Queens of the Dead.) Jusu would be working from a screenplay written by LaToya Morgan, whose credits include episodes of Shameless, Parenthood, Into the Badlands, and The Walking Dead. Details on the plot have been kept under wraps.
When the project was first announced, Jusu had this to say about it: “The original version of Night of the Living Dead is still so resonant to this day. Every era has the zombie that it needs and right now, zombies reflect the ways that humans treat each other and show us who is truly the monster.“ Morgan added that the original film is “one of the great cornerstones of the horror genre. I’m beyond thrilled to be playing in the sandbox that George Romero built and ecstatic to raise the stakes and push the envelope with this exciting new story.“ And Christine Romero said, “I am so excited by this visionary team of storytellers that have come together to expand on the premise of the original film. Revisiting the world that George and his collaborators created is going to be a treat for fans. George would have been so happy to see this happen!“
So, what’s the hold-up? The problem was revealed in a recent article published by the New York Times, where Christine Romero said the Night of the Living Dead sequel is “currently in limbo, with MGM contending, in her words, ‘we don’t like your rights,’ given that Night of the Living Dead is in the public domain. ‘It’s been a battle,’ she added. Lawyers got involved. ‘What they want me to do is say, ‘Nobody else can make anything to do with Night of the Living Dead,’ Christine said. ‘I can’t say that, because Suzanne, his new wife, is making Twilight of the Dead.’ She sighed. When Romero died, he left [his widow, Suzanne] Desrocher-Romero in control of most of his estate.” Christine added that the situation is, “Beyond horrible. But that’s what it is.“
As mentioned, Suzanne Desrocher-Romero is producing a zombie movie called Twilight of the Dead that’s set to be directed by Brad Anderson (Session 9) and is based on a treatment George A. Romero wrote before he passed away. The screenplay was written by Joe Knetter, Robert Lucas, and Paolo Zelati, who also worked on the treatment with Romero, and Milla Jovovich (Resident Evil) has signed on to star in the film, which is receiving funding from Roundtable Entertainment.
What do you think of MGM pumping the brakes on the Night of the Living Dead sequel due to rights issues? Do you hope the movie will make its way out of limbo? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
