Just weeks before he passed away, the legendary George A. Romero let it be known that he was seeking funding for a project called George A. Romero Presents: Road of the Dead, a film that would be directed by stunt coordinator Matt Birman, who served as second unit director on Romero’s Land of the Dead, Diary of the Dead, and Survival of the Dead. Five years have gone by and this project still hasn’t gotten off the ground, as Romero’s passing understandably halted any momentum it had. With the new episode of our video series WTF Happened to This Unmade Horror Movie (formerly known as The Horror Movie That Almost Was), we’re looking into what might have been if Road of the Dead had been made. Hopefully it will be made someday.
Road of the Dead was scripted by Romero and Birman. Romero said the story is set
in a sanctuary city where this fat cat runs a haven for rich folks, and one of the things that he does is stage drag races to entertain them. There’s a scientist there doing genetic experiments, trying to make the zombies stop eating us, and he has discovered that with a little tampering, they can recall certain memory skills that enable them to drive in these races. So it’s a demolition derby with zombies at the wheels, and of course the shit hits the fan in other ways. It’s really a romp; it’s great fun, with stunts galore.”
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IDW did publish a Road of the Dead prequel comic back in 2018.
The WTF Happened to This Unmade Horror Movie series focuses on
the various horror projects that could never seem to get things off the ground, be it for budgetary concerns, creative differences, or just an ever evolving Hollywood landscape. We dive into every aspect and see just how close these films had come to cameras rolling.
This episode was Written, Narrated, and Edited by Tyler Nichols, Produced by John Fallon, and Executive Produced by Berge Garabedian.
Do you wish George A. Romero Presents: Road of the Dead had been made? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
A couple of the previous episodes of WTF Happened to This Unmade Horror Movie can be seen below. To see more, and to check out our other video series, head over to the JoBlo Horror Originals YouTube channel – and subscribe while you’re there!
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