George A. Romero Estate Disavows Syfy’s ‘Day of the Dead’ Series

After the announcement was made that Syfy was ordering a 10-episode television series adaptation of George A. Romero’s 1985 zombie movie Day of the Dead, word quickly spread among horror fans to draw a variety of mixed opinions. Expected to premiere in 2021, the show is said to follow “six strangers trying to survive the first 24 hours of an undead invasion.” Jed Elinoff and Scott Thomas are on board to write and serve as showrunners for the series.

With little else revealed about the project, it was unclear whether the series would share any real connections with Romero’s original film. That question has now been answered by the Romero Estate with a statement released by the George A. Romero Foundation. Making it clear the Estate has no involvement with the project in any capacity, it appears the only thing the new series will have in common with the Romero film is its title and nothing more.

From the George A. Romero Foundation on Twitter:

“This announcement is making the rounds today, but [Romero’s widow Suzanne] would like everyone to be aware that this project is neither sanctioned nor endorsed by the George A. Romero Estate, and – aside from the title – it bears no relationship whatsoever to George’s DAY OF THE DEAD or any other projects.”

In other words, it would appear that this Day of the Dead series will be just another zombie show, oddly coming in at a time when the mainstream zombie wave is rapidly dying down. If even a great new zombie series like Daybreak on Netflix can’t make it past a first season, Syfy’s Day of the Dead will be fighting an uphill battle for success from the start, and it certainly doesn’t help that the Romero Estate doesn’t approve of the project.

For more about the George A. Romero Foundation, you can visit the official website.

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