‘Night of the Living Dead: Origins' Movie Gains Momentum with Radar Pictures

G. Cameron Romero, son of George A. Romero, has launched a crowdfunding campaign for the genesis story of his father’s iconic “Night of the Living Dead.”

The son, who will direct, launched the 30-day campaign Wednesday night through Indiegogo with a goal of $150,000 for pre-production costs at helptelltheorigin.com.

“I feel carrying on my dad’s legacy is something that I not only want to do, but it’s something I HAVE to do because I, like all my dad’s fans, was raised on his creation,” the younger Romero said.

“Origins” is produced under the Romero Pictures banner. Producers include the elder Romero and Darrin Reed (“Lila and Eve”).

“The origin story deserves to be told by someone who passionately loves and has a unique insight into the original movie and nobody has that more than George’s own son,” Reed said.

“Night of the Living Dead” was released in 1968 and starred Duane Jones, Judith O’Dea and Karl Hardman. The film, which follows seven people trapped in a rural farmhouse attacked by zombies, was shot in black and white for $114,000 and grossed $30 millon worldwide, spawning five more “Living Dead” films.

It was selected in 1999 by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Film Registry.

The crowdfunding campaign perks include being part of a “brain trust” to help answer questions during pre-production, signed body parts, set visits and being in the film as a zombie who gets killed on camera.

The fundraising campaign is supported by Cold Steel, the Zombie Apocalypse Store and Dogfish Head Brewery. It is also partnered with Bloody Disgusting horror site.

“Origins” will be set in the late sixties 1960s and focus on a brilliant scientist who strikes a deal with the military that will give him all the resources he needs to finalize his work in exchange for what he later learns is a price all mankind will have to pay.

“I want to take back the zombie genre in the name of the legacy that my father created almost 50 years ago,” the younger Romero said. “I want to tell the origin story of the modern zombie, in a way that my father wasn’t able to do so back in 1968.”

The project is the first time that the Romeros have collaborated on a film. The father has credits on more than 20 films; his son has shot more than 100 commercials and six feature films.

~variety,com