George A. Romero‘s 1968 masterpiece “Night Of The Living Dead” is one of the best horror movies ever. And while Romero himself directed sequels to the film, including 1978’s “Dawn Of The Dead” and 1985’s “Day Of The Dead,” it looks like another direct sequel may now be in the works, with “Nanny” director Nikyatu Jusu on board to helm it.
Deadline reports that an American Film Market package to make a new sequel to Romero’s 1968 film is coming together. The package sees Village Roadshow Pictures partner with Christine Romero and George A. Romero’s Sanibel Films, Origin Story, Vertigo, and Westbrook Studios for a new “Living Dead” franchise. Jusu is attached to direct the sequel, with LaToya Morgan also on board to pen the script. Morgan is no stranger to zombies, as she was a writer-producer on AMC‘s popular zombie show, “The Walking Dead.” Her other credits include the HBO Max crime series “Duster,” which she co-created with JJ Abrams.
The big news about this project is Jusu’s involvement with it. Jusu made a big splash earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival, becoming only the second Black female director to win the festival’s U.S. Grand Jury Prize for “Nanny.” The film, which stars Anna Diop as an undocumented Senegalese woman who becomes a nanny for an affluent Manhattan family, finally hits theaters next month on November 23. It then streams globally on Prime Video on December 16. Thanks to the hype surrounding “Nanny,” Jusu’s name is in high demand, so a “Living Dead” sequel with her name attached will likely arouse a lot of positive attention.
“The original version of “Night of the Living Dead” is still so resonant to this day,” Jusu said in a statement. “Every era has the zombie that it needs and right now, zombies reflect the ways that humans treat each other and show us who is truly the monster.” Meanwhile, Morgan added that Romero’s original is “one of the great cornerstones of the horror genre. I’m beyond thrilled to be playing in the sandbox that George Romero built and ecstatic to raise the stakes and push the envelope with this exciting new story.”
Romero’s original film is one of the most profitable movies ever made, grossing $30 million in its initial run off a $115,000 budget. The film has netted around $200 million total in its lifespan. However, a copyright mix-up right before the film released in theaters caused Romero to see almost none of the profits from the film. At the last minute, Romero changed the title of the film from “Night Of The Flesh Eaters” to “Night Of The Living Dead,” but left the new title off the copyright. Romero eventually went to court with The Walter Reade Organization over the issue. However, he lost the lawsuit, and a simple clerical error cost the filmmaker millions.
Given that history, it’s nice that Christine Romero and Sanibel Films, the Romero family banner, are involved with this new project. But will this sequel to “Night Of The Living Dead” actually come to life? Only time will tell if anyone bites on this one.