Back in 1968, George A. Romero made his feature directorial debut with one of the greatest horror movies ever made, Night of the Living Dead – and while doing so, he also introduced the world to flesh-eating ghouls that became a new definition for the world “zombie.” Romero, who passed away in 2017, went on to make several more zombie movies over the decades… and last month, his daughter Tina Romero revealed that she will be making her own feature directorial debut with a zombie movie called Queens of the Dead. Now Deadline is reporting that Katy O’Brian (Love Lies Bleeding), Brigette Lundy-Paine (Bill & Ted Face the Music), Margaret Cho (Fire Island), Cheyenne Jackson (American Horror Story), Nina West (Rupaul’s Drag Race), Jaquel Spivey (Mean Girls), Tomas Matos (Fire Island), Quincy Dunn-Baker (No Hard Feelings), Becca Blackwell (Bros), Shaunette Renée Wilson (Black Panther), Dominique Jackson (Pose), Riki Lindhome (Knives Out), and Eve Lindley (Bros) have all been cast in the film.
Romero provided the following statement: “This is the cast of my wildest dreams. In a movie about survival, you gotta love and root for the survival crew. Every single person in this ensemble brings such a special and specific flavor -both on and off screen. The result is truly a magic sauce.“
Romero previously told Fangoria that the screenplay she wrote with novelist and comedian Erin Judge “takes place over one night, at the beginning of the dead rising. We find ourselves at a big warehouse party in Bushwick. We’ve got a party promoter for whom everything’s going wrong, and her lead act has dropped out, so she needs to call upon a friend — a retired drag queen — to resurrect his drag, to come and save the night. And it turns out to be a night of many resurrections. And our motley crew of characters find themselves holed up in a Bushwick nightclub, having to decide ‘do we get out of here or do we board the place up?’ And they’ve got to survive the night. It’s about a group of non-fighters finding the survival skills deep within.“
Vanishing Angle’s Matthew Lee Miller and Natalie Metzger are producing Queens of the Dead. Miller told Deadline, “As soon as we started casting, we knew we needed a team that could deliver on the film’s bold, eclectic vision. This cast exceeds our wildest expectations. Their combined talent and chemistry are electrifying. Tina’s vision is a game-changer, and we believe this ensemble will create something truly unforgettable, honoring the Romero legacy while pushing the boundaries of the genre.“
Metzger added, “I’ve been obsessed with this script and Tina’s vision from the moment that I read it. It’s so incredibly fun and unique. This film is not just a continuation of the Romero legacy but a fresh take that is sure to captivate a new generation of horror fans.“
What do you think of the cast that has been assembled for Tina Romero’s Queens of the Dead? Let us know by leaving a comment below.