How The Day Of The Dead TV Show Can Best Connect To Romero’s Zombie Movies – Screen Rant

Syfy is prepping a TV show based on George Romero's classic zombie film Day of the Dead, and here's how the two projects could best connect.

Syfy is prepping a TV show based on George Romero's classic zombie film Day of the Dead, and here's how the two projects could best connect. Romero may no longer be among the living himself, but his legacy in horror will remain relevant for many decades to come. While zombie cinema was by no means Romero's only creative success story, the undead were certainly his most famous endeavor. After all, Romero basically invented the zombie as fans know it today with 1968's Night of the Living Dead.

Romero went on to direct five more zombie films, and while the last couple had issues, Dawn of the Dead, Day of the Dead, and Land of the Dead range from all-time classics to worthwhile watches. That track record makes it pretty clear that when at the top of his game, nobody did zombies better than Romero. Day of the Dead itself is actually an odd case, as unlike Night and Dawn, it wasn't an immediate hit, but in the decades since its release has been reevaluated and recognized as a worthy follow-up to Romero's greatest masterpieces.

Related: Why Day Of The Dead's Sequels & Remakes Are So Bad

Night or Dawn might seem like more obvious choices for a TV show adaptation, but the rights situation around both those films is complex, to say the least. Day's rights holders seem much more willing to experiment with the property, for better or worse. It's been confirmed that the show will connect to the movie, but it's unclear exactly how. We have a few ideas.

While there currently isn't much information about what Syfy's Day of the Dead TV show will be about, it's at least known that the plot will center on six strangers in a small Pennsylvania town that try their best to survive the initial period of a zombie apocalypse. The Pennsylvania setting is appropriate, as George Romero was a Pittsburgh fixture, and shot many of his films there. The placement of Day of the Dead the show at the beginning of the outbreak noticeably separates it from the film, which was set years into the plague.

That said, Day of the Dead could certainly try and echo the themes of science vs. militarism, even if on a much smaller scale. Being near the beginning of the zombie rise, an attempt could also be made to echo themes of Night of the Living Dead like alienation and paranoia, and also its circumstances, perhaps by trapping its characters in an isolated setting with zombies on all sides. More specifically, Day of the Dead's most famous character, and literal poster boy, is Bub, a zombie who begins to remember aspects of his former human life with the help of a scientist named Dr. Logan.

The Day of the Dead show could opt to let fans see the human days of Bub, and learn who he was prior to death, which would perhaps explain his eventual sense of loyalty and ability to learn. The show could also feature a character like crazed military leader Captain Rhodes, if not Rhodes himself. One would assume he had his head on straight at some point to rise into a leadership position of any type in the military, and this show could present his devolution. For now though, all fans can do is wait and see how the show and Romero's movies will connect. So far, none of the announced characters seem to have direct movie counterparts.

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Michael Kennedy is an avid movie and TV fan that's been working for Screen Rant in various capacities since 2014. In that time, Michael has written over 2000 articles for the site, first working solely as a news writer, then later as a senior writer and associate news editor. Most recently, Michael helped launch Screen Rant's new horror section, and is now the lead staff writer when it comes to all things frightening. A FL native, Michael is passionate about pop culture, and earned an AS degree in film production in 2012. He also loves both Marvel and DC movies, and wishes every superhero fan could just get along. When not writing, Michael enjoys going to concerts, taking in live professional wrestling, and debating pop culture. A long-term member of the Screen Rant family, Michael looks forward to continuing on creating new content for the site for many more years to come.

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