Someway I missed the information final February that SyFy had greenlit a TV reboot of George A. Romero’s basic 1985 zombie horror movie, Day of the Lifeless—simply earlier than the widespread onset of a lethal international pandemic, no much less. And by some means the collection managed to get into manufacturing regardless of all of the shutdowns. SyFy dropped the official trailer for the ten-episode collection throughout a panel at Comedian-Con@house, with a deliberate premiere date this October, simply in time for Halloween. You possibly can watch the complete 45-minute panel right here.
The unique Day of the Lifeless was the third in a trilogy of movies that launched a franchise, preceded by Evening of the Residing the Lifeless (1968) and its sequel, Daybreak of the Lifeless (1978). Romero initially envisioned Day of the Lifeless because the Gone With the Wind of zombie films, however disagreements with the studio over a proposed R-rating—Romero wished the movie to be unrated—meant that the director ended up with half his unique finances (about $4 million). He was pressured to reduce his imaginative and prescient considerably, a lot of the movie takes place in a safe underground bunker within the Everglades, the place tensions rise between the scientists and troopers on-site.
Romero has mentioned that Day of the Lifeless is his favourite inside the franchise, though it has the bottom “recent” ranking (83 p.c) on Rotten Tomatoes of the preliminary trilogy. It solely grossed $34 million worldwide (largely from VHS, DVD, and Blu-Ray releases), but it surely nonetheless left its mark on common tradition. The pseudo-civilized zombie “Bub” made a cameo on a S4 episode of The Strolling Lifeless as one of many “walkers” encountered in a railroad tunnel. And in Stranger Issues S3 (set in 1985), the teenagers all sneak right into a mall theater to observe an early screening of Day of the Lifeless. Three extra movies within the franchise have been launched in 2005, 2007, and 2009, and Evening of the Residing Lifeless II is at the moment in manufacturing, slated for a 2022 launch. Three of the unique solid members from Day of the Lifeless will reprise their roles in that movie.
Again when the SyFy venture was introduced, the official logline for the Day of the Lifeless TV collection described it as “the extraordinary story of six strangers attempting to outlive the primary 24 hours of an undead invasion.” It was at all times meant as an ode to Romero, who just about pioneered the whole style. “Evening of the Residing Lifeless was in 1968, and we’re nonetheless, each time zombies come up, we discuss Romero,” co-showrunner (with Jed Elinoff) Scott Thomas mentioned throughout the panel. “He established what we all know as the fashionable zombie… and he did it in a means that additionally added social commentary. Each single zombie film or TV present or graphic novel owes Romero for his legacy.”
Judging from the trailer, we’ll get our share of zombie-fueled gore: limbs torn off, disembowelment, and naturally, the consumption of tasty brains. There may also be Easter eggs scattered all through the collection for eagle-eyed followers, per Thomas. Personally, I am hoping to see Bub once more (along with his mocking salute), and possibly even make-up/particular results grasp Tom Savini, a crew member on the unique trilogy. (Savini made shock cameo appearances as an actor in final yr’s NOS4A2 and Locke and Key.)
That mentioned, the collection may also depart considerably from these basic Romero films. For example, it seems to be like there be much more humor. And whereas the present will function the basic Romero “gradual” zombies, Thomas mentioned that the zombie invasion won’t be the results of an outbreak that begins turning everybody into zombies. Moderately, it is going to be a situation the place the useless begin coming again to life and consuming the residents of the small city through which the story takes place. (In that respect, it resembles the premise of 2019’s The Lifeless Do not Die.) And the zombies can’t be killed as simply by a easy shot to the top, in keeping with Thomas, which ought to up the stakes much more.
Day of the Lifeless premieres on SyFy in October 2021. The solid consists of Natalie Malaika as Lauren Howell, Keenan Tracey as Cam McDermott, Daniel Doheny as Luke Bowman, Morgan Holmstrom as Sarah Blackwood, Miranda Frigon as Paula Bowman, Deejan Loyola as Jai Fisher, Kristy Daybreak Dinsmore as Amy, Christopher Russell as Trey Bowman, Matty Finochio as Bobby Hart, Kevin O’Grady as Rhodes, Lucia Walters as Logan, Stefanie von Pfetten as Cindy, Darryl Scheelar as Magnum, Trezzo Mahoro as Trent, Caitlin Stryker as Nicole, and Marci T. Home as Captain Pike. One assumes just a few of these solid members will find yourself as zombie meals.
Itemizing picture by YouTube/SYFY