Kate Beckinsale to Face Off Against the Undead In ‘Twilight of the Dead’, the Conclusion of Romero’s Zombie Saga
Kate Beckinsale (Underworld) has been cast to star in the long-awaited final chapter of George A. Romero‘s zombie saga, Twilight of the Dead, reports Deadline.
The film is “set on a decimated earth where the last vestiges of humanity are trapped between warring factions and an evolving undead threat”.
First announced in 2021, we learned that Romero wrote a treatment for Twilight before passing in 2017.
Milla Jovovich was originally cast for the role before the film underwent a facelift. But honestly, I couldn’t be more excited for Beckinsale. She’s a phenomenal actress with her fair share of genre credits to her name, including Vacancy, Van Helsing, and of course, the Underworld franchise, where she plays an ass-kicking vampire taking down werewolves and vampires alike.
Jeruzalem filmmakers Doron and Yoav Paz (aka, the Paz Brothers), will direct.
Said the Paz Brothers, “Stepping into Romero’s world is the ultimate privilege for any genre filmmaker. This is more than a continuation, it’s a responsibility. We are committed to honoring his voice while delivering a visceral, terrifying, impactful experience for today’s audience that resonates beyond the screen.”
I’m thrilled to see the Paz Brothers acknowledge the responsibility at hand here. The first entry of Romero’s zombie saga, Night of the Living Dead, changed the genre as we know it. Though Romero dubbed the undead of the film as “ghouls”, they became what we now refer to as zombies, altering our definition of what a zombie was in horror. Every zombie film to come out since has, in some way, been influenced by Night. Romero would go on to release numerous sequels, along with comics, novels, you name it. He’s known as the Godfather of the Dead for a reason. I only wish he were still alive to have finished the saga himself.
Executive producers include Stephanie Caleb, Roundtable’s Alex Dundas and Jason Resnick, Josh Kagan, Sean Carey, Stu Snyder, Hakim Bangash, Victor Ianno, Streamline Global’s Emily Hunter Salveson, Jamie Thompson, Brian Skiba, Jeff Elliott, and Aanaxion’s Bong-Seob Mun, Bang-Ok Joo. Young-Joo Ji, Sung-Il Ahn, and Kwang Jin Kim.
Producing for Roundtable Entertainment are John Baldecchi and Sarah Donnelly with executive producer and Roundtable President, Dominic Ianno, and in partnership with Suzanne Romero. Also producing are Bob Yari, Shaun Sanghani of SSS Entertainment and Aanaxion’s Kenneth Kim, Ho Sung Pak and George Furla.
Magenta Light Studios has secured the North American rights and will distribute the film in theaters across the U.S. and Canada.
International sales are being handled by The Syndicate, with executive producers Jeffrey Giles and Michael Lurie launching the project at the Cannes market this week.
The outlet notes that producers haven’t closed the door on the possibility of additional movies in a new franchise should this new one go well. Considering the weight the film carries with Romero’s name, I have no doubt that most horror fans are going to want to see this one. Stay tuned.
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