Per a new report in Variety and announced at the Cannes Film Festival, the original zombie master himself is aiming to get into the undead television game popularized by The Walking Dead. George Romero, the director of films such as Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead, etc…has signed a deal with Demarest Films to adapt his Marvel comic series Empire of the Dead for the small screen.
Empire of the Dead, a loose continuation of his “Dead” series of films, sees humans trapped in the middle of a supernatural war between zombies and vampires. The comic, written by Romero, is expected to last 15 issues (comprised of 3 5-issue acts) and has featured art by Alex Maleev, Dalibor Talajic, and Andrea Mutti. The series’ final issue has been solicited to hit stores this August.
The adaptation will be written by Romero and his long-time television partner Peter Grunwald, and they will both serve as executive producers alongside Demarest’s Sam Engelbardt and William D. Johnson.
Will this be just the thing needed to revive a franchise that’s had its share of moribund entries (Diary of the Dead, Survival of the Dead)?
Nice to see there is still a place for ole Romero, with all this dead action goin’ on.