First Road of the Dead Poster

The new production poster for the next zombie film from George A. Romero has been shared on social media, and it looks suitably nightmarish. If one filmmaker can be considered to be the father of all things cinematically undead, then Romero is that man. And horror fans are eagerly awaiting further details for his latest project called announced in May. In this case however, the legendary genre director will be acting as a co-writer and a producer.

Romero is best known for his incredibly influential "Dead" trilogy, consisting of Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead, and Day of the Dead. It's easy these days to forget just how ground-breaking the films were at the time, now that we live in an era of primetime gory zombie dramas (The Walking Dead), along with reboots and remakes of the aforementioned films. As well as directing several other cult genre movies (Martin, The Crazies), Romero also followed his original "Dead" films with another three set in the same post-apocalyptic undead universe. These were Land of the Dead, Diary of the Dead, and Survival of the Dead. These didn't have quite so much impact as his originals, but were still welcomed by fans of his work. Although now in his 70s and retired from directing, he still remains active in the genre and actively contributes to various projects.

The official twitter for the Weekend of the Dead show held in Manchester, England, has shared the first production poster for Road of the Dead. It has a Hells Angel vibe and depicts an undead skull mounted on a steering wheel, complete with biker's helmet and goggles. It's accompanied by skeletal arms tied to the wheel, and framed by the name of the film. Obviously it gives little away in of the content, but it's a nice ghoulish image at any rate and summarises the intent of the production.

First production poster for Road of the Dead. Here's looking forward to the trailer!! pic.twitter.com/ezAp8S0swN— Weekend of the Dead (@weekenddead) July 1, 2017

Road of the Dead will carry a "George A. Romero Presents" statement within the title, but will be directed by stuntman-turned-director Matt Birman (Mad Max, Death Race, and Romero's established Dead universe. It will reportedly take place on an island where zombie prisoners race cars in a modern-day Coliseum for the entertainment of wealthy humans. Birman has likened it to Rollerball and Ben Hur, as well as Mad Max, which is wonderfully ambitious if nothing else.

It all sounds promisingly mad, but it should be noted that full financing has yet to be secured and the production has yet to fully start. It's hoped that when the project is showcased at Fantasia International Film Festival this month, deals can be made and the cameras can actually start rolling. In the meantime, the poster is a nice way to whet the appetite. We'll bring you more details of Road of the Dead when they become available.