On July 16, 2017, the inventor of the modern zombie film, George A. Romero passed away with an unfinished novel installment to his famous Dead series. Each installment follows what would happen during the zombie apocalypse based on time, location, and the longevity of the disease that creates the undead. In the wake of his unexpected death, his wife, Suzanne Desrocher, alongside the George A. Romero estate requested that writer Dan Kraus assist in finishing the finale of the Dead series. After approximately three years, The Living Dead has reached completion, and is set to release in August of 2020. It will continue his indisputably monumental legacy with one last zombie tale.
In 1968, Romero took the world by storm with his feature-length film Night Of The Living Dead. It follows several people trapped in a western Pennsylvania farmhouse as they are tormented by zombies. The film immediately took the world by storm. Reporters commented on the absurd amount of violence, and sought for the Supreme Court to handle how or even if films such as Night Of The Living Dead should be shown. Regardless of the negative feedback, it was also regarded as one of the most successful horror movies at the time while highlighting the talents of independent filmmakers. After ten years, Romero followed up the success of his first zombie film with Dawn Of The Dead (1978) about several individuals who take shelter in a mall.
The next installment in Romero's Dead franchise was Day Of The Dead (1985), which occurs after the events of the 1978 film and revolves around the possibility of zombies taking over the world. Land Of The Dead (2005) came twenty years later, and brought back the western Pennsylvania landscape with the city of Pittsburgh mixed with zombies. Diary Of The Dead (2007) and Survival Of The Dead (2009) were the last two installments in the Dead series. Dan Kraus’s co-authored novel with George A. Romero’s original material will round out the series. The Living Dead gives closure to horror fans and continue the Romero legacy for many years to come.
How The Living Dead Completes The Dead Series Timeline
Night Of The Living Dead established the base of the Dead series and a point of reference for where and when the zombie apocalypse starts. While his later films tend to expand beyond the Pittsburgh area, they always seem to return to that spot, undoubtedly due to the fact that it was the location Romero called home for so long. In Diary Of The Dead, the story became more personal. It followed the first few days of the outbreak and a group of filmmakers documenting the event. The upcoming installment, The Living Dead, finds the zombie virus spreading throughout the entirety of the United States and is set in modern times.
The Living Dead was never intended to become a film; Romero’s unfinished novel breaks through the constraints of filmmaking and the restrictions of a story’s plot, setting, and characters. The fact that it's a lengthy novel establishes the fact that it was always meant to complete the series in the way that Romero needed it to end. As tensions grow between the living in the midst of the undead uprising, social commentary on politics are introduced to the story to encapsulate the truth of the zombie apocalypse. It brings the controversial ending of Night Of The Living Dead to the present day with continued discourse on racism in the United States. The story serves to tie together every element and loose end that Romero introduced through the entirety of the Dead series and offer a new perspective.
While there are two other entries of the Dead series in the works, it's not entirely clear how they will play into The Living Dead’s story, if they do at all. Matt Birman is currently working on Road Of The Dead (TBA) that was co-written with Romero, and G. Cameron Romero is working on Rise Of The Living Dead (TBA). As of this writing, there haven't been been any updates on either project. Regardless of what new installments are introduced to the Dead series, George A. Romero's co-authored novel with Dan Kraus will complete the series in the way the creator of the modern zombie intended.