Twilight of the Dead: Brad Anderson to direct George A. Romero zombie project

Back in 2021, it was revealed that the legendary George A. Romero (who passed away in 2017) had left behind a treatment for the “seventh and final installment” in his Dead franchise – following Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead, Day of the Dead, Land of the Dead, Diary of the Dead, and Survival of the Dead. The story Romero had come up with used a title than many fans expected him to use for his follow-up to Day, Twilight of the Dead, and the team of Joe Knetter, Robert Lucas, and Paolo Zelati, who also worked on the treatment with Romero, were working on fleshing it out into a screenplay. Last month, we heard that Twilight of the Dead had secured funding from Roundtable Entertainment. And now we know who’s going to direct the film: Session 9 director Brad Anderson!

Anderson provided the following statement: “George Romero’s 1968 classic Night of the Living Dead may have been the first real horror movie I ever saw and its shock value, its keen social relevance, and even the means by which it was made were all hugely inspirational to me. George’s indie spirit, his Do-It-Yourself approach to filmmaking – outside of the main industry; on a shoestring budget; collaborating with family and friends – is exactly how I made my first film, and to some extent still make films now. Night of the Living Dead, and many of those that followed, wove together straight up horror with pointed social commentary. This unexpected combination is what elevated George’s films, and for me it is exactly what is most exciting about Twilight of the Dead.  This too is a zombie movie in which limbs fly and heads roll, but one that is also about social transformation, one that asks the question: What is it to be human? It is also a horror movie with heart and, dare I say, hope. As a filmmaker who relishes combining and reinventing genres, the chance to bring to life (so to speak!) this last installment in George Romero’s zombie franchise is a true honor and a privilege.“

Set on a tropical island, Twilight of the Dead will “delve into the dark nature of humanity from the perspective of the last humans on earth who are caught between factions of the undead.” Like the previous Dead films, it’s being described as a “thought-provoking sociopolitical commentary wrapped in a genre piece.”

Zelati is producing the film with John Baldecchi, Sarah Donnelly, Ardvella Entertainment’s Stephanie Caleb, and Romero’s widow Suzanne Romero. Dominic Ianno, Alex Dundas, Jason Resnick, Chris Roe, and Luis Riefkohl serve as executive producers.

Baldecchi had this to say about hiring Anderson: “Brad is the ideal filmmaker to bring this project to life. Both Brad and George began their careers in the independent film scene and have directed seminal movies in the genre space and beyond. Brad has had tremendous success both commercially and critically and Roundtable is thrilled to have him onboard to direct. Twilight of the Dead is the seventh and final chapter of the Dead series and we think Brad is the perfect storyteller to bring this cinematic tale about the human condition to life.“

Twilight of the Dead is expected to start filming in Puerto Rico later this year. Stephanie Holbrook is casting the project.

In addition to Session 9, Brad Anderson’s previous credits include Next Stop Wonderland, Happy Accidents, The Machinist, TransSiberian, Vanishing on 7th Street, The Call, Stonehearst Asylum, Beirut, Fractured, Blood, Masters of Horror: Sounds Like, Fear Itself: Spooked, and episodes of The Wire, Fringe, and Boardwalk Empire, among many other TV credits.

Romero is one of my favorite filmmakers, so I was very interested to see who was going to be chosen to take his place at the helm of Twilight of the Dead. Anderson being hired for the job is one of the best case scenarios as far as I’m concerned, as I’ve been a fan of his work ever since I saw Session 9 during a 24 hour theatrical horror marathon back in 2001.

What do you think of Brad Anderson signing on to direct Twilight of the Dead? Let us know by leaving a comment below.