Land of the Dead
In the film, the zombies having taken over the world and those left alive are confined to a walled-in city that keeps out the corpse corps. Anarchy rules the streets, with the wealthy insulated and living in fortified skyscrapers. The drama revolves around a group of scavengers who must thwart an attempt to overthrow the city while the dead are evolving from brainless slow-moving creatures into more advanced creatures.
LATEST NEWS
6/20/05
You can view a couple new clips for the film:
Clip 1: 300k / 700k
Clip 2: 300k / 700k
Also if you're interested in seeing how Shaun of the Dead star Simon Pegg looks as a zombie, you can check a pic of him at the bottom, courtesy of Twitch Film. Lastly if you're interested in viewing an uncut version of the trailer you can click the trailer link, which'll take you to it.
6/08/05
You can view a number of new pics at the very bottom of the page.
6/03/05
The official site is now fully active, so go check it now! Also keep your eye out for "Dream of the Dead" an on-set documentary for the film that will air on the Independent Film Channel (IFC) on June 12th. Click here for more details.
5/12/05
Dread Central got their hands on a gory pic from the film, that'll give us an idea as to what we'll be treated to when the film is released. You can check the pic here. Meanwhile, you can check even more new (and old) pics for the film at George Romero's official site, located here. Just click the zombie guy on the left.
5/07/05
The official poster is out and can be viewed above, thanks to the Horror Channel. You can also check some new pics, which include a zombiefied Tom Savini here. There's also an article with one of the FX guys for the film here.
4/23/05
A couple new pics have popped up at Dread Central. You can check'em at your bottom right. You can also view the new trailer by clicking the link on your left.
4/12/05
Its being reported all over that the release date has been pushed forward from October 21st to a mere two months from now at June 24th. Hard to believe since we haven't seen much promotion on the film as-of late. Either way, I'll update the release to the "new" date until further info is revealed.
3/03/05
Filming apparently wrapped on December in Toronto and the film is said to still be in the editing stages. Thanks to "Dead-Head "BMC"" You can read some talk from actor Simon Baker here. He goes over his opinion on the film and filming.
1/12/05
Actor John Leguizamo spoke with the guys at IGN recently about the film and his role in it. He seems to ramble a bit, but here's a somewhat interesting piece from the article: "I play a zombie killer. It's an apocalyptic world. It's very political too. It's very operatic, man. It's a very ambitious piece. It's an action movie, it's political. It's got a little bit of comic relief as well. The zombies have taken over and there's only certain patches of right wing people controlling everything… Then there's the working class people, which is me and Simon Baker coming in to try and help to get supplies from the zombies. [We are] minimum wage men. (Laughs) It's a weird thing. I've got my own hypothesis too about [the politics]. I think it all has to do with, in that situation with the war in Iraq and all that and our sense of, it lightens things up, when you can't take death so seriously, it lightens it up. It plays with that, sort of, our anxiety. I know I've got a lot of anxiety. I think it has to do with right-wing, neo-conservatives controlling things and corporate power..." John also confirmed that the zombies will be slow-moving, unlike those seen in the recent zombie flicks. You can also expect some humor and loads of gore (which I'm sure will be cut out for the theatrical release).
1/09/05
I've added a couple new pics.
12/08/04
You can read an extensive article on a reporter's exploits as a zombie extra in the film here.
12/02/04
I've added a full list of the cast. The characters are as follows:
Riley - Simon Baker
Charlie - Robert Joy
Cholo - John Leguizamo
Kaufmann - Dennis Hopper
Pillsbury - Pedro Miguel Arce
Teahouse - Krista Bridges
Big Daddy - Eugene Clark
The Butcher - Boyd Banks
Gus - Jason Gautreau
Barrett - Christopher Russell
Brubaker - Alan Van Sprang
Slack - Asia Argento
Foxy - Tony Nappo
Anchor - Tony Munch
Mouse - Max McCabe
Chihuahua - Phil Fondacaro
Manolete - Sasha Roiz
Pretty Boy - Joanne Boland
Blade (Zombie) - Tom Savini
Teenage Zombie Boy - Michael Belisaro
Zombie Cameo - Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright (yes, the "Shaun of the Dead" guys)
Zombie - Boyd Banks
Zombie - Jennifer Baxter
Zombie - Grant Hayes
Shaun of the Dead star Simon Pegg spoke to a BBC radio station recently about his cameo role in the film. Here's what he said: "We did it last week. It was fantastic. We went over to Canada and we were in make-up for two or three hours and got made up as zombies. It was like an episode of 'Jim'll Fix It', it was just amazing. [The] Zombies don't actually speak. I was offered a speaking part in the film, but I turned it down. I didn't get to be a zombie in 'Shaun of the Dead', so this was my big chance. So I said I didn't want to be be a speaking actor in this big Hollywood film. I said I'd rather groan and stumble and be unrecognisable." Cast list and Simon talk were found here.
11/17/04
An annonymous source sent some set pics my way. The pics aren't much to look at since it looks as though they were all just standing around waiting for a scene. Sadly there weren't any zombie shots.
11/05/04
The NY Times spoke with writer/director George Romero while he was filming, where he revealed a little bit more on the story, here's a quote from the column: "The fat cats live in a high-security complex called Fiddler's Green, which the director is conjuring inside BCE Place, an indoor office and shopping mall here with a futuristic, vaulted ceiling that makes it look like a true cathedral of commerce. On the outside, zombie hordes roam almost unimpeded throughout the earth. People are aware of what's going on outside, and they're willing to listen to a government entity calling Fiddler's Green a safe haven, but it's not really providing everything they need. So some of the protagonists have to go out into the real world to get things like food - and deodorant." Read more here. Thanks to "Phil".
10/25/04
Some cool new set-pics can be found here, including one of the "Dead Reckoning" vehicle.
10/18/04
I've added Phil Fondacaro to the cast.
10/05/04
Make-up Effects artist Greg Nicotero talked with The Horror Channel about his work, along with some stuff on the upcoming Land of the Dead. Check it here.
9/25/04
Added to the cast. Baker, Argento and Leguizamo will all play a team of soldiers sent out to battle the zombie threat in a heavily-armed tank-like vehicle called the "Dead Reckoning".
9/23/04
Writer/Director George Romero reveals various details about the film in an interview located here.
9/15/04
The release date has been pushed to October 21st, and the "official" title is now George Romero's Land of the Dead.
9/10/04
Universal Pictures has acquired the distribution rights to the film and aim to have it go before theaters in October of next year. The following story details were revealed in a Fango article: "At this point in the story, the zombies are the majority, and we’re taking up where we left off with Bub, who was the first ghoul we saw with a hit of intelligence. They’ve basically taken over, but there are still bands of [surviving] humans, and the story is all about their existence. It’s intriguing how George has still been able to inject social relevance to today’s culture, which is what made NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD and DAWN OF THE DEAD so important, in terms of social commentary. This one is going to be about greed and selfishness and money, and how that drives everyone. George’s movies are always about one part of society consuming another, whether it’s consumerism or wealth and power, and we’re definitely going to stick with that." Read more here.
8/30/04
The Horror Channel spoke with Tom Savini briefly about the film, where he revealed that his role in the film would be as one of the leaders of a salvage team that goes out to search for supplies and/or survivors.
Also, George Romero appeared at the Rue Morgue "Festival of Fear" recently, where he spoke openly about his current projects, and a scooper that attended the expo revealed the following to Cinescape: "He talked as openly as he could about LAND OF THE DEAD. He says production starts in about two weeks here in Toronto, and has had discussions with Dennis Hopper about what I'm assuming would be a major role... although he made sure to make it clear nothing was signed, but that he had high hopes. He also talked a bit about CGI and how it may be used in the movie, saying it will more than likely be used to flesh out mass zombie scenes but that he still prefers the personality that 100+ extras bring. He says the movie will more than likely get a restricted rating and he'll have to cut it down a bit depending on where it's being shown but that there will be a DVD version containing the directors cut."
"As for the basic plot, he said it has a similar feel to the captive zombie plot of DAY OF THE DEAD, except theres a few more of them and they are still learning... but the good news is that there will be no running zombies ala the remake of DAWN earlier this year (he found that a bit cheezy but a good action film). He mentioned that Tom Savini has a cameo role in the movie if they can get him cleared to work up here, but Savini seems to think it will happen so fingers crossed. Also the two guys who wrote SHAWN OF THE DEAD will get cameos if they can work out the timing... he says SHAWN OF THE DEAD is the best zombie film hes seen since his own flicks."
8/18/04
Fango recently spoke with Greg Nicotero of KNB EFX, who will be working on the effects for the film, whom revealed the involvements of Shaun of the Dead stars Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright. He was quoted saying... "So when they were in LA last week, I said, 'Guys, come on up, we'll cast your faces and do zombie makeups on you guys. And they were so excited. Simon is a huge Bub (Day of the Dead) fan, and in Shaun he references Bub in some of the little character traits he throws in. So I thought, 'We'll have to do a sort of Bub makeup on Simon just as a little in-joke for the fans. The plan is that they're going to come up to Toronto and do cameos."
He then went on to say how Romero wanted Tom Savini (original FX artist) involved, but since he wont be doing the effects he'll instead havea role in the film. He was quoted saying: "To be honest, George and I had that conversation, and George said, 'How do we get Tom involved? I want him involved in this project.' I said, 'Tom's an actor, and I'm sure that he would be happier to have a role in the film and let the effects work go to us.' And George said, 'Great, that's brilliant.' Everybody's going to expect Tom Savini to be a part of this film--as did I, and as far as I understand, he's going to have an acting role in Land of the Dead. And not just a cameo--though Tom and I have joked around that it would be cool if [Savini's character] Blade from Dawn of the Dead was walking around in the background as a zombie. But Tom is going to play a part in the film, so the fans will get to see him as part of a new George Romero zombie movie."
8/15/04
Although it's nothing official, The Horror Channel got word from a source that actor Dennis Hopper has landed a starring role in the flick.
8/02/04
It looks like despite Romero really wanting to film in Pittsburgh that he'll be going over to Toronto Canada because of its exchange rate, which'll in the end save the production a lot of money. Speaking of which, production begins in October for a Spring of Fall release next year. Romero spoke with the Post-gazette a couple days ago where he reveals his deep disappointment with having to go to Toronto to film, but added that he plans to have at least a few days of shooting in Pittsburgh. He also went on to talk a little about how the location will effect the movie, saying... "The movie is based on the idea that you could fortify a city like Pittsburgh [against zombies], with rivers on two sides, a base at the triangle of less than a mile ... a subway that runs in over the bridge. I had all that stuff written in. Now we're going to have to create it or fake it or whatever. I'd love to get a few exteriors of the actual city, but it's not like bringing the movie into town." Thanks to "techbat".
7/21/04
The web has been buzzing about the recent announcement that the next entry in the Dead series was a "go" and now the Horror Channel has a little article up speaking with the man himself, George Romero, where he reveals more details on the project. Check it here.
7/20/04
Writer/Director George Romero spoke with HorrorWeb recently, revealing info on this film and various other past and future projects. When speaking of this film the following was revealed: South Africa is another location that they're looking at; this will not be the last of the Dead series as long s he's alive; lastly he varified that the film would most likely be cut for the theatrical release, but get unrated version for DVD.
He was also quoted saying he'd love to have Tom Savini have a role in the film and "love to give him maybe a special zombie, if Greg [Greg Nicotero - FX artist] would let Tom do one particular character or something that would be great, but I need to clear that with Greg."
He then went on to say how he'll need a little CGI in the film in certain sequences, like one needing to show the audience a large number of zombies together, and also to "take half a zombies face off". You can read the whole interview here.
7/18/04
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette posted an article in the paper speaking of the production and how it may really come to them when it's time to begin filming. Romero was quoted saying: "Obviously, I would love to do it here. It's written for here." Former Pittsburgher and president of Atmosphere Entertainment Bernie Goldmann also added "we'll make the decision in the next couple of days."
He then went on to say... "I think George has written a great script. He's updated the whole 'Living Dead' series. He's a great guy, a great director. He created the genre, and it's great to work with the master." The project is tentatively set with a budgeted at between $15 million and $20 million, and the story revolves around a time when the world has been overrun by zombies and what remains of the civilization has retreated into wallad communities. Romero went on to say... "It's about ignoring the problem. The protagonists are commandos who have to go out where the zombies are to bring in food and supplies." You can read more on the article and how everyone seems enthused about it possibly being shot in Pittsburg here.
7/15/04
Variety revealed a lil' more details on the project -- Production is set in October in either Winnipeg or Pittsburgh (original location for the previous films). The above plot is the official one posted on Variety.
7/09/04
The title has been changed from Dead Reckoning to Land of the Dead. Also, writer/director George Romero spoke with Fango recently, revealing that the project is being financed independently with one "big-name producer" attached. He then went onto acknowledge the lack of freedom he'll have with this film compared to the previous two, saying...
"The producers want major distribution, so I’m sure that the first release version, in this country anyway, will have to be R-rated. I don’t think they’ll want to go NC-17. But they’re gonna let me shoot the film the way I want to, and they’ll let me do the cutbacks for release. Hopefully the fans will still show up, and then see the [unrated] edition later on video."
He hopes to have the film rolling in October.
6/14/04
Things have been brewing recently on the status of this project and whether it'll actually happen. There were rumors a while back that this was grenlit and Romero was putting Diamond Dead aside to work on it, but that was false. Though, there is some small truth behind it, because according to Producer Andrew Gaty at the official Diamond Dead website, he mentions that Romero's project may be moving forward and they have to decide which to work on first -- they can do one in October while another can begin next Spring.
2/12/04
Director George Romero recently talked with the UK-horror mag Shivers about this film saying... "I think Dead Reckoning could be the best Dead film I've ever done, but everyone in Hollywood's obsessed with doing Teenage Horror films and it's tough to raise financing, even for someone with a track record like myself, and everyone who's read Dead Reckoning loves it. It's a story about a class struggle amidst the zombie apocalypse with the rich and the poor living opposite each other - the haves don't want to be exposed to the zombies and they don't want to share their community with the have-knots. The Dead Reckoning is this monster truck that the hero of the story travels around in. Maybe if Dawn of the Dead's a hit, it will help my film get made." Thanks to CC.
1/09/04
George Romero is currently doing revisions for the script. Nothing else new, but at least we know he's still workin' on it.
1/03/03
Rumors have been going around that Fox has picked up the rights for the film. There has been no official word about it yet and it's still unclear if it will go direct-to-video or have a theatrical release.
N/A Date
Its been reported that that at this year's Fangoria Weekend of Horrors, George Romero said... "I do have a script at Fox for a fourth zombie film, which looks like it's going to happen...It's going to be the most expensive one...They're basically going to let me make my film and cut it back for R-rated release." The good news is then the DVD will be the full unrated version of the film which'll be budgeted at about $10 million.
DETAILS
- It's been said that there will be cameos in the film to look out for.
- Dennis Hopper plays the lead villian in the film.
- George Romero rewrote the script and spent more than a year in negotiations with 20th Century Fox, but it was the newly-formed Atmosphere Films that showed interest and a deal was made a couple days after reading the script.
- The original script was written right before the events of 9/11 and around that time no one wanteed to touch a movie like this.
- Budgeted between $15 to $20 million.
- This was the description for the original plot: Two years have passed since Day of the Dead, and there are only a few humans left on Earth. The zombies are no longer a threat, because of their advanced state of decomposition, they're only anoying. There's also subplot where the human race thinks they found a cure for the zombie disease.
- Written and Directed by George Romero.
- Originally had the working titles Twilight of the Dead, Dusk of the Dead and Dead Reckoning.
- The fourth addition in the Dead series.
