As most horror fans know, George A. Romero's classic Night of the Living Dead is public domain, so anybody can do anything they want with it. Remake it, publish a novelization, screen it, release it on home video, or sequelize it. That's how we're getting Night of the Living Dead II from writer/director Marcus Slabine – but it looks like this movie might be more than just a follow-up to the original Night. A video posted on social media has revealed that Romero's Day of the Dead cast members Lori Cardille, Terry Alexander, and Jarlath Conroy also have some degree of involvement with the project.
Already filmed in secret, Night of the Living Dead II is set on
a remote island where a small group of survivors of the zombie apocalypse take shelter, only to face fresh terror when the flesheaters find their way ashore.
At the end of Day of the Dead, the characters Sarah (Cardille), John (Alexander), and McDermott (Conroy) fled to an island… so it seems like Slabine's film is going to catch up with them some years down the line. But unofficially, because Day of the Dead isn't public domain.
Terrifier's David Howard Thornton is also in the cast.
Slabine told Rue Morgue,
Romero’s NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD changed cinema as we know it and created one of the greatest subgenres out there. His DEAD series has been an inspiration to filmmakers such as myself, and getting to play within the zombie universe is a dream come true. We all poured a lot of love, passion and blood – so much blood – into the making of this movie, and truly hope it resonates with people. We want to honor this universe and truly make something that fans will love and enjoy on its own merit. As the writer/director, I wanted to create a movie with deep characters, a captivating original story and the zombie gore that we all love so dearly. Also, the zombies will not run!"
Slabine produced Night of the Living Dead II with Vincent Petrosini, Elyssa Rabinowitz, Steve Conca, Karin Agstam, and FX designer Elizabeth Piper S. The film is a co-production of Into The Labyrinth LLC and Without A Net Productions.
We'll keep you updated on Night of the Living Dead II as more is revealed.