The Zombie Movie Master’s Legacy Is Being Revived By His Daughter With New Film
Tina Romero, daughter of director and “Godfather of Zombies” George A Romero, is paying homage to her dad with her upcoming film Queens of the Dead. Tina Romero is also following in her father’s footsteps by taking the zombie genre in a fresh and modern new direction. Queens of the Dead follows a group of drag queens and club kids who must find a way to survive after the zombie apocalypse breaks out at their drag show in Brooklyn.
Tina Romero Is Carrying On The Legacy
Queens of the Dead is putting together a big cast, too, with the main cast of Jaquel Spivey, Katy O’Brian, Margaret Cho, Brigette Lundy-Paine, and Cheyenne Jackson recently announced. Tina Romero is directing the horror-comedy and plans on using practical effects to bring the film to life. Matthew Lee Miller and Natalie Metzger served as producers on the film, while Creativity Capital financed it.
George Romero Popularized Zombie Movies
Queens of the Dead comes some years after George A. Romero passed away in 2017, but it’s nice to see his family legacy is being carried on by his daughter. Romero paved the way for the zombie genre with classic films like Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead, and Day of the Dead have had a lasting impact and influenced the horror genre as a whole. It seems his influence has also carried over to his daughter.
Honoring George Away From Set
Before taking on Queens of the Dead, Tina Romera has been carving out her own filmmaking career with short films like Little Girl Blue and Rainbowarrior along with various music videos. Tina Romero’s works have been featured at the Accolade Global Film Competition, the Melbourne Film Festival, and the Winnipeg Magical Feminism Exhibition, and her feature script was a finalist in the Sundance Screenwriter’s Lab.
On top of honoring her father’s legacy with her upcoming zombie film, Tina is also the Vice President of the GARF Foundation, which honors the work and legacy of George A. Romero by supporting the next generation of independent filmmakers.
Keeping The Social Commentary
In addition to furthering her father’s legacy in the zombie genre, Tina Romero also seems like she’ll be continuing her father’s tradition of social commentary, as Queens of the Dead’s plot is LGTBQ+ focused, and the cast is full of queer talent.
Romero’s films commented on social issues like capitalism, consumerism, the military-industrial complex, race, and more. While Queens of the Dead is billed as a horror-comedy rather than an outright horror like George A. Romero’s films, there’s still plenty of room for social commentary amidst laughs.
More Romero Zombies On The Way
The zombie blood also clearly runs strong in the Romero family, as his son Cameron C Romero previously returned to the world of The Night of the Living Dead with a graphic novel titled The Rise, which showed the events leading up to the titular night in Romero’s classic film. While George A. Romero may be gone, his family is making sure the zombie genre walks on. Queens of the Dead doesn’t have a release date yet but stay tuned, and we’ll keep you updated.
