Few films are as beloved in horror as George A. Romero‘s 1968 zombie film “Night Of The Living Dead.” And there are so many reasons to love it. For one, the movie is low-budget filmmaking to the max: shot in Pittsburgh for only $118,000 by a group of industry renegades who were tired of shooting commercials. Then there are Romero’s several masterstrokes: casting an African American as one of the leads; using a schlocky, violent premise to examine culturally relevant themes; ingenious on-location shooting. Yup, “Living Dead” is a classic, and one of the best movies of all time.
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And now, one of Romero’s long-time collaborators wants to make a movie about how the horror classic got made. Deadline reports that at San Diego Comic-Con, SFX legend and director Greg Nicotero announced he plans to make a film about the making of Romero’s 1968 movie. Nicotero first hatched the idea in 2017 at a memorial for Romero shortly after the legendary director’s death at the Evans County Cemetery, where the opening scene of “Living Dead” was shot. Five years later, his idea finally comes to fruition with the help of Mosaic producer Jimmy Miller.
“What I want to do is an “Ed Wood“-style movie that shows the heart and character of this guy,” said Nicotero, “with the backdrop this “Magnificent Seven” version of a bunch who had no f*cking idea of what they were doing, getting together to make “Night of the Living Dead.”” So, Nicotero’s movie won’t be like “The Disaster Artist,” which James Franco made to both homage and ridicule Tommy Wiseau‘s “The Room.” Instead, expect a film that both recreates scenes from the original film and brings various on-set anecdotes from “Living Dead” back to life. Nicotero plans to shoot recreated scenes from the film in black and white, like the original, and the rest of it in color. That’ll make it easier to show how Romero & co. did things, like, for example, using chocolate syrups as blood in the 1968 film.
Nicotero worked on several of Romero’s films over the years, starting with the grisly 1985 “Day Of The Dead,” which ties up the director’s original “Dead” trilogy. Initially an SFX wizard who worked along the legendary Tom Savini on films, Nicotero eventually evolved into an actor and director. Since 2011, he’s directed almost forty episodes of another zombie property, AMC‘s “The Walking Dead,” and its many spin-offs. But Nicotero still does SFX work, with his most recent work coming on Quentin Tarantino‘s 2019 film “Once Upon A Time In Hollywood.” In other words, Nicotero has the experience to make this movie memorable.
Still, “Night Of The Living Dead” is sacred ground for filmmakers and cinephiles alike. So even if Nicotero and Romero are old friends, Nicotero must be careful not to blemish the film’s esteemed reputation. Everyone remembers Romero for his uncompromising filmmaking spirit and his hometown loyalty to Pittsburgh and long-time crew members. If Nicotero wishes to honor how Romero’s legacy began, he must make this film the right way.
No word on when Nicotero and Miller will start production on their “Living Dead” film, but they’ve tied up all of the necessary rights and shopping the idea around to writers. So, will this film come to fruition? Only time will tell, but given Nicotero’s zombie credentials and close ties to Romero, this is an exciting project for horror fans.