As genre fans are well aware, George A. Romero’s 1968 classic Night of the Living Dead became public domain as soon as it was released without a copyright notice anywhere on screen. For decades, all that meant was that the movie got a whole lot of unauthorized home video releases and TV airings. Nobody attempted to remake Night of the Living Dead until 1990, and then it was Romero himself spearheading the remake, which was directed by his frequent collaborator Tom Savini.
But in recent years the floodgates have opened, as filmmakers realized anyone can do anything they want with the Night of the Living Dead property. Multiple remakes and spin-offs have been produced… and five years ago, it was announced that we would be getting a remake directed by Christopher Ray, with Vivica A. Fox taking on the “Ben” role that was played by Duane Jones and Tony Todd in the ’68 and ’90 films. That remake has since made its way through production and secured a distribution deal with ITN Distribution. A release date hasn’t yet been announced, but a trailer has been unveiled, and you can check it out in the embed above.
What is this Night of the Living Dead remake about?
Directed by Christopher Ray (Attack of the Meth Gator) from a script by Jared Cohn (Halloween Pussy Trap Kill! Kill!), this version of Night of the Living Dead doesn’t appear to be straying too far from the source material. It takes place during a worldwide event in which the dead rise and roam the earth as zombies. As civilization collapses, a small group of survivors must fight to stay alive against the growing threat of the walking dead.
Fans of the original film may recognize the radio news report featured in the trailer, and Beekman’s Diner is a location that was referenced but not seen in the ’68 movie.
Who’s in the Cast?
Vivica A. Fox (Kill Bill) is joined in the cast by Brittany Underwood (One Life to Live), Richard Gabai (Virgin High), Miko Hughes (Pet Sematary), Zack Ward (Freddy vs. Jason), Rob Van Dam (3-Headed Shark Attack), Adam Huss (Power), writer Jared Cohn (A Stalker in the House), Dee Wallace (The Howling), Eva Ceja (Aquarium of the Dead), Scotch Hopkins (Alma and the Wolf), Jon Mack (Blunt Force Trauma), Jessica Moore (Inner Demons), Maria Paris (Gunfight at Rio Bravo), Josh Stone (Attack of the Killer Tomatoes: Organic Intelligence), Brandon Lee Ward (Christmas in the Friendly Skies), Jeff Wills (Midnight Monster), newcomer Raphael Gabai, and the late, great Robert Carradine (Revenge of the Nerds).
Christopher Ray, Jeff Wills, and Jon Mack produced this Night of the Living Dead remake with James Cullen Bressack, Kala Guess, John Hitt, and Fred Olen Ray. Colleen Sinor and Paul Sinor serve as executive producers.
What did you think of the trailer for this Night of the Living Dead remake? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
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