George A. Romero's Classic Zombie Franchise Hits Major Filming Milestone For Final Movie

Published Oct 4, 2026, 3:44 PM EDT

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The Living Dead series has reached a major milestone nearly six decades after it first began.

George A. Romero's legendary zombie franchise changed the horror genre with 1968's Night of the Living Dead, which was followed by five more movies before Romero's death in 2017. Although Romero had passed, the filmmaker had already begun developing one final chapter in his long-running Dead series.

According to Deadline, Twilight of the Dead has officially wrapped filming. Production on the final installment in Romero's zombie saga took place in Kentucky and concluded in September. Kate Beckinsale, best known for leading the Underworld franchise, leads the castalongside Betty Gabriel, Abigail London, Kurt Deimer, Phil Burke, Cooper Barnes, Tait Fletcher, and John D. Hickman.

Doron and Yoav Paz, collectively known as the Paz Brothers, directed Twilight of the Dead, taking over from previously attached director Brad Anderson. Bullet Train stunt veteran Ho Sung Pak handled the movie's stunt and action sequences, while The Walking Dead's Greg Nicotero oversaw the special effects.

The milestone brings Twilight of the Dead significantly closer to completing a story Romero envisioned before his death. The horror icon developed the treatment with Paolo Zelati, intending the movie to serve as the conclusion to the zombie saga he began with 1968's Night of the Living Dead.

Set on a decimated Earth, Twilight of the Dead follows humanity's last remnants as they become trapped between warring factions and an evolving undead threat. While plot details remain limited, the premise continues Romero's tradition of placing human conflict at the center of his zombie stories rather than making the undead the only threat.

The movie has taken a long road to production. Beckinsale joined Twilight of the Dead earlier in 2026, replacing Milla Jovovich, who had previously been attached to star. The Paz Brothers similarly replaced Anderson behind the camera as the long-gestating project moved closer to filming.

Twilight of the Dead will now become the seventh installment in Romero's Dead franchise. The series began with Night of the Living Dead, then continued through Dawn of the Dead, Day of the Dead, Land of the Dead, Diary of the Dead, and 2009's Survival of the Dead.

Not only will it mark the first installment in Romero's series in more than 15 years, but Twilight of the Dead is being billed as the definitive ending to the filmmaker's zombie saga. However, producers have said they haven't ruled out additional movies if the new installment performs well.

Magenta Light Studios holds the North American distribution rights and plans to release Twilight of the Dead theatrically in the United States and Canada. A release date has not yet been announced, but with filming now complete, Romero's final zombie story has taken one of its biggest steps toward finally reaching theaters.

Although filming is wrapped, no release date has been officially set for Twilight of the Dead.