Zombie news is rising out of Dread Central: First, an update on the screen adaptation of WORLD WAR Z – a book I have flipped through but haven’t really sunk my teeth into yet. It seems as though screenwriter J. Michael Straczynski (of “Babylon 5” fame) has just turned in his first draft. No director is attached, but Brad Pitt is producing.
And apparently, George Romero knows what he’s doing after DIARY OF THE DEAD… a zombie movie! A comedy, supposedly, but still, a zombie movie…
Look I love Romero’s zombie movies to death (well, maybe not LAND), as we all do – but this is ridiculous. Romero is a talented artist, with the ability to work in different colors; check out CREEPSHOW, THE CRAZIES, MARTIN, KNIGHTRIDERS, THE DARK HALF (yes, that’s an underrated flick). But to stay on this zombie track, at his late age, is depriving himself and his fans of potentially great work.
Obviously, this is just my own opinion, and I’m not saying the man can’t make whatever he wants – I just wish he’d move on. Honestly, I always thought George could make a movie in the ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN vein: he knows his politics, he loves subverting “the system,” and he’s capable of creating tension out of simple character scenes (THE CRAZIES is really the best example of this). Wouldn’t it be cool to find out George was moving into uncharted waters, shaking up his filmography a bit? Weigh in on this folks – spit some bullets below.
(Hope I don’t sound like a horror-traitor – but I think this particular director’s fans would gladly follow him into a new genre. And no, a comedy about zombies doesn’t count.)