Hollywood’s zombie obsession shows no sign of fading, and World War Z’s healthy box office return only guarantees more flesh-hungry hordes to come. As studios feel pressured to pump out more undead-centric films, some are looking to the classics for inspiration, including work by one of the genre’s most influential directors.
The LA Times reports that horror producers Lati Grobman and Christa Campbell acquired the rights to remake George Romero’s 1985 film Day of the Dead in collaboration with Millennium Films. The cult hit follows a group of scientists and military personnel who take refuge in a bunker after a zombie apocalypse wipes out most of the human race. The first two chapters of Romero’s Dead franchise, Night of the Living Dead and Dawn of the Dead, were both turned into successful remakes, a trend that followed with a new version of Day in 2008. Seeing as how that film bombed, it seems only fair that Grobman and Campbell should take a stab at it.
The duo is currently meeting with screenwriters, and already has an idea about how they want to approach the film. Campbell managed a jab at the latest zombie sensation by stating that they want to keep the remake “as close to the Romero version as possible,” adding that there will be no “zombies climbing walls and doing back flips like in World War Z.” They also see the project as an opportunity to prove that they’re not just a one hit wonder after the “fluke” financial success of their campy horror flick Texas Chainsaw 3D.
Millennium executives Avi Lerner, Boaz Davidson and Mark Gill will also produce Day of the Dead, which is expected to hit theaters sometime next year.
Are you a fan of Day of the Dead? Do you think Grobman and Campbell are the right people to oversee the remake?