George Romero's final, apocalyptic zombie movie 'Twilight of the Dead' is finally happening

George A. Romero's impact on the zombie genre cannot be understated. The man literally created the modern depiction of the flesh-eating ghoul that endures to this day.

Now, almost four years after his passing from lung cancer at the age of 77, Romero's wife, Suzanne Romero, is working hard to bring the late director's undead swan song, Twilight of the Dead, to life. Per The Hollywood Reporter, which first broke the news, the project was "intended to be the filmmaker's final statement on the genre" he built with Night of the Living Dead (1968), Dawn of the Dead (1978), Day of the Dead (1985), Land of the Dead (2005), Diary of the Dead (2007), and Survival of the Dead (2009).

After developing the script with three screenwriters — Paolo Zelati, Joe Knetter, and Robert L. Lucas — over the last several years, Suzanne is finally read to start her search for a director worthy of continuing her husband's legacy. "While someone else will carry the torch as the director, it is very much a George A. Romero film," she told THR.

Based on a treatment Romero wrote with Zelati, Twilight is set after Land of the Dead in a post-apocalyptic world dominated by — you guessed it! — zombies, and lots of them. Things seem pretty bleak, but there may still be hope for humanity. That set-up may sound like a carbon copy of The Walking Dead, but let's be honest here, that comic and the TV show it inspired would never have existed had it not been for the work of Mr. Romero.

"Everything started with my question to him: 'Where do the zombies go at the end of Land of the Dead?'" Zelati recalled. "It is no secret that Diary and Survival were not the way he envisioned the series ending and George knew it very well. Twilight of the Dead was his goodbye to the genre he created and wanted to go out with a powerful film."

"I gave [Paolo] my full blessing as long as I could be there every step of the way for it to remain true to George’s vision," added Suzanne. "We had a solid treatment and the beginning of the script. I can 100 percent say that George would be incredibly happy to see this continue. He wanted this to be his final stamp on the zombie genre."

Earlier this year, Mrs. Romero revealed that her husband left behind dozens of scripts prior to his death. “George was a prolific writer,” she remarked. “He loved to write, and we have 40, 50 scripts that he's written, and a lot of it is very good. He had a lot to say, and he still does, because I'm gonna make sure that he does. It's my mission."