Bloody Hilarious! Legendary 70s Zombie Comedy Reboots to Unleash Epic Franchise Expansion

The iconic zombie comedy Return of the Living Dead, which gained a cult following for its amusing take on the genre and memorable punk rock soundtrack featuring bands like The Cramps and 45 Grave, is set to receive an exciting revival almost four decades after its initial release. Adapted from John Russo's novel of the same name, the 1985 film not only garnered rave reviews but also achieved moderate success at the box office, leading to the creation of four subsequent sequels and establishing numerous zombie clichés for years to come.

As per Living Dead Media's official website, a reboot of Return of the Living Dead is currently in progress, with the aim of expanding the universe of this long-standing franchise in the upcoming installment. Steve Wolsh, the talented director behind Muck and Kill Her Goats, is slated to helm the project, with the reboot promising to stay true to the original movie's R-rated comedic essence.

Return of The Living Dead’s Connections To George A. Romero’s Zombie Movies Explained

Although the Return of the Living Dead franchise is widely credited with introducing audiences to the idea of zombies' craving for human brains, its title has often caused confusion with the works of Night of the Living Dead director George A. Romero. Romero, considered by many as the pioneer of modern zombie movies, laid the foundation in the genre that the original director of Return of the Living Dead, Dan O'Bannon, later expanded upon. However, O'Bannon's work shares more than just a focus on reanimated corpses with Romero's.

When Romero completed his iconic zombie film, Night of the Living Dead, in 1968, he ended his collaboration with co-writer Russo who retained the rights to any titles featuring Living Dead. Meanwhile, Romero embarked on his own franchise starting with Dawn of the Dead in 1978. Russo initially wrote Return of the Living Dead as an alternate sequel to his previous collaboration with Romero, but this led to a legal dispute with his former partner regarding the release of the movie. Although Russo and O’Bannon managed to keep the title after the legal battle, it had significant repercussions on the marketing of the film.

Setting legal issues aside, O’Bannon creatively added new elements to his revised version of Russo’s original story. Alongside introducing the concept of the zombie-making compound known as Trioxin, O’Bannon portrayed his undead creatures as more intelligent and agile than Romero’s slow-moving zombies. If director Wolsh's planned reboot of Return of the Living Dead stays true to the roots of the original, it will be interesting to see how it pays homage to both Russo's and Romero's films.

Source: Living Dead Media