Once the nemesis of the Umbrella Corporation, Resident Evil film series star Milla Jovovich is leaving behind the confines of Raccoon City and taking her cinematic zombie-killing skills to the late George A. Romero’s posthumous final film, Twilight of the Dead.
As first reported by Deadline, though obviously not helmed directly by the nearly-decade dead Romero, the director did pen an initial treatment for the film, which he is said to have considered the “seventh and final installment” of his iconic horror franchise.
And it is this treatment that writers Joe Knetter (12 to Midnight), Robert L. Lucas (That’s a Wrap), and Paolo Zelati (The Profane Exhibit) will use as a basis for the film’s screenplay, which will be set in the unlikely location of a tropical island and “delve into the dark nature of humanity from the perspective of the last humans on Earth who are caught between factions of the undead.”
Coming aboard to direct Jovovich in her next undead outing is Brad Anderson, who is perhaps best known for 2004’s The Machinist and 2018’s Beirut.
“I see this film in the same way as successful post-apocalyptic thrillers such as I Am Legend, A Quiet Place, The Road, and The Last of Us — genre stories that are as emotional as they are intense,” explained Anderson of his approach to Romero’s final film. “When I first read Twilight of The Dead, I teared up at the end. Which is weird for a film of this type. But it has that kind of pull, that combo of horror and heartbreak that I love.”
Behind-the-scenes, the film’s make-up effects will be provided by veteran horror artist and long-time Romero collaborator Greg Nicotero via his KNB EFX Group, which thanks to his experience will likely do wonders for Twilight of the Dead‘s authenticity and visual intensity.
Additionally, the film will also see input from a roster of seasoned producers, most notably Suzanne Desrocher-Romero, the late director’s widow and founder of the George A. Romero Foundation.
“It is with great pleasure to work with my partners at Roundtable to finally get the last of George A. Romero’s Dead canon out to the fans,” she told the press. “It’s what the fans have longed for, and with Brad Anderson at the helm, it will be sensational!”
In regards to star Jovovich, the actress is no stranger to zombie flicks.
As noted above, the actress has starred in six of the live-action Resident Evil film series’ seven total entries (opinions of which vary wildly depending on who you ask).
To this end, one has to ask: Can she lead another such undead outing, let alone one that is set to close out such a legendary franchise?
That use of ‘legendary’ isn’t an exaggeration either.
Redefining the zombie genre with 1968’s Night of the Living Dead, the Dead franchise not only moved the cultural idea of a zombie away from its mystical and voodoo-centered roots and planted it firmly in the notion of reanimated corpses (consider the contrast between his films and The Serpent and the Rainbow), but it was also the first to use their mindless actions to lampoon and criticize various aspects of our modern society, an idea which has since gone on to become the most popular read of the monsters’ behaviors.
Without Romero’s work, the entire concept of ‘the living dead’ as we know it would be completely different.
At current, Twilight of the Dead has yet to receive an official release date.