Land of the Dead 2?

[Cruxdustrial]

Before I pose my question, let me say a few things and preface it. First, I consider Land of the Dead to be a classic, I absolutely loved it and I purchased it on blu-ray as soon as it became available. Secondly, I hate Diary of the Dead and thought it was total garbage. I did not think it was a progression or improvement upon Land of the Dead as you would expect successor to be. Finally, I am not excited about "...of the Dead", I did not care at all for the trailer or the storyline or the idea of mixing western with zombies. I was also upset to hear that GAR wanted to call it Diary of the Dead Part 2 when I was wishing the DEAD movie he made after Diary of the Dead would be a vast departure from and a move away from the crap that was Diary of the Dead. Having said all that.... does anyone know the present possibilities of a Land of the Dead 2? I ask this because not long after the release of Land of the Dead, GAR said he wanted to do a sequel to it and a few years ago (before Diary) it was all but anounced. Whatever happened? Did relations between him and Universal break down so much that they canned Land of the Dead 2? I want LotD 2 please. What's really sad is that I loved all of GAR's DEAD series movies (Night, Dawn, Day & Land) except for Diary. I thought GAR was infallible up until Diary but Diary proved me very wrong.

[krakenslayer]

Before I pose my question, let me say a few things and preface it. First, I consider Land of the Dead to be a classic, I absolutely loved it and I purchased it on blu-ray as soon as it became available. Secondly, I hate Diary of the Dead and thought it was total garbage. I did not think it was a progression or improvement upon Land of the Dead as you would expect successor to be. Finally, I am not excited about "...of the Dead", I did not care at all for the trailer or the storyline or the idea of mixing western with zombies. I was also upset to hear that GAR wanted to call it Diary of the Dead Part 2 when I was wishing the DEAD movie he made after Diary of the Dead would be a vast departure from and a move away from the crap that was Diary of the Dead. Having said all that.... does anyone know the present possibilities of a Land of the Dead 2? I ask this because not long after the release of Land of the Dead, GAR said he wanted to do a sequel to it and a few years ago (before Diary) it was all but anounced. Whatever happened? Did relations between him and Universal break down so much that they canned Land of the Dead 2? I want LotD 2 please. What's really sad is that I loved all of GAR's DEAD series movies (Night, Dawn, Day & Land) except for Diary. I thought GAR was infallible up until Diary but Diary proved me very wrong. Well... it did look possible for a while, and I believe it even had a working title (Road of the Dead) and Romero was contemplating story ideas involving Riley and crew heading into the wild. However, it looks like the concept has germinated into ...of the Dead but with the events taking place only a few months into the outbreak and with Diary's national guardsman in place of Riley and Dead Reckoning. The new movie certainly looks closer in style and spirit to Land (but without smart zombies) than it does to Diary. Romero only said he wished he could call it Diary of the Dead 2 because it would be easier than all the humming and hawing about the title, not because it was going to be the same type of movie.

[Cruxdustrial]

Well... it did look possible for a while, and I believe it even had a working title (Road of the Dead) and Romero was contemplating story ideas involving Riley and crew heading into the wild. However, it looks like the concept has germinated into ...of the Dead but with the events taking place only a few months into the outbreak and with Diary's national guardsman in place of Riley and Dead Reckoning. The new movie certainly looks closer in style and spirit to Land (but without smart zombies) than it does to Diary. Romero only said he wished he could call it Diary of the Dead 2 because it would be easier than all the humming and hawing about the title, not because it was going to be the same type of movie. -cries- ....but....but.....Land is amazing and deserves a sequel.....the cast was amazing and could actually ACT unlike the failed acting in Diary....plus I actually cared about the characters in Land..... who owns the rights to Land of the Dead if a sequel would hypothetically get made? George or Universal? Ugh.... -goes back to crying-

[krakenslayer]

-cries- ....but....but.....Land is amazing and deserves a sequel.....the cast was amazing and could actually ACT unlike the failed acting in Diary....plus I actually cared about the characters in Land..... who owns the rights to Land of the Dead if a sequel would hypothetically get made? George or Universal? Ugh.... -goes back to crying- As screenwriter, George probably no longer retains exclusive rights to the story and characters, as these are usually given up when a writer signs a contract with a production company. Universal own the distribution rights but contributed little or nothing to the actual content of the film as they were only brought on board as distributor (not production company) after production had begun. It's unlikely that they hold any sequel rights. The company that actually produced Land and funded the production budget is called Atmosphere LLC. Atmosphere could almost certainly produce a non-Romero Land of the Dead sequel, but I would think it's unlikely because Land, although a moderate financial success, did not make enough money to guarantee the success of a sequel. Also, going ahead without Romero's name on the poster wouldn't help. Oh well, cheer up. Remember - only one character from Diary will appear in the new movie, and he is played by an actor from Land of the Dead. Furthermore, ...of the Dead has been shot in a cinematic style (not first person) and Romero has used real, experienced actors this time (Kenneth Welsh from Twin Peaks, Athena Karkanis from the Saw movies, etc.).

[Cruxdustrial]

As screenwriter, George probably no longer retains exclusive rights to the story and characters, as these are usually given up when a writer signs a contract with a production company. Universal own the distribution rights but contributed little or nothing to the actual content of the film as they were only brought on board as distributor (not production company) after production had begun. It's unlikely that they hold any sequel rights. The company that actually produced Land and funded the production budget is called Atmosphere LLC. Atmosphere could almost certainly produce a non-Romero Land of the Dead sequel, but I would think it's unlikely because Land, although a moderate financial success, did not make enough money to guarantee the success of a sequel. Also, going ahead without Romero's name on the poster wouldn't help. Please don't misunderstand my position. I should've clarified. I don't want a sequel to LotD without GAR's involvement. For starters, he created it. Thank you for posting and thank you for clarifying on who owns the rights. And yes, I understand that LotD was not the financial success that you or others wished it would be but I do not measure movies by their financial success. Many movies that I consider classics, such as Blade Runner and John Carpenter's The Thing and also Silent Hill, were not financial successes at all, some of them were total financial failures (Blade Runner and The Thing did not become successful or popular until decades later). Regardless, thank you for filling me in on the legal status. I wasn't aware of the whole Atmospher/Universal thing.

[krakenslayer]

Yeah, I know where you're coming from, I'm just saying that ...of the Dead is probably the closest you're gonna get to the Land of the Dead sequel. It's not all bad though (see my little edit above, I edited it just before you replied).

[darth los]

Before I pose my question, let me say a few things and preface it. First, I consider Land of the Dead to be a classic I'd love to help but I blacked out after that statement. Now what were you saying?

[bassman]

I too would love to see another story with Riley, Charlie, and Slack, but doubt it will ever happen. I think Land has some of the best characters out of all of Romero's films.

[AcesandEights]

I consider Land of the Dead to be a classic, I absolutely loved it... Rock on! I wouldn't call it a classic, but it was a nice addition to the genre (warts and all). I purchased it on blu-ray as soon as it became available. Meh. Secondly, I hate Diary of the Dead and thought it was total garbage. I feel the same way. Finally, I am not excited about "...of the Dead", I did not care at all for the trailer or the storyline or the idea of mixing western with zombies. Well, I'm going to give the project a little patience. Follow me on this for a moment. First, the 'trailer' I saw looked like it was a rough screener, not a real trailer polished for any sort of wide release. So, I don't judge too harshly in that light. Now, with regards to the mixing of Western & zombie themes, I'm not sure how heavy handed this will be done, so I'm not apt to get too down at the prospect. I think the setting is a great one, personally, and has lots of potential. Having said all that.... does anyone know the present possibilities of a Land of the Dead 2? Ah, the crux of the matter, and I can't even begin to help you. Maybe someone else here will have some decent info. Neil (I think it was Neil), just posted a bunch of stuff, including some short interviews of GAR in the '...of the Dead' forum, but I don't recall much if anything that was said on the topic. Even still, I didn't give it that close of a look, so there may be something there for you.

[Cruxdustrial]

I just wanted to say that I do acknowledge that not everyone, in fact, most do not agree with my assessment of LotD. I realize that out of Night, Dawn, Day & Land, it is Land that is the most hated and gets the most flack. I just want to say, you are absolutely entitled to your opinion, you are entitled to differ with me, in fact I think diversity is awesome so please keep it up, I would hate a world that was just clones of me everywhere (I SUCK!). And also, I need more than one mind to cull more than just my insight on things. More often than not, people have better insight than I do. On the same token, I'm just asking that you please don't attack me for liking LotD (so much that it's a classic for me) and please let me just be an LotD fan like I am. That's all I'm asking and I will give you the same rights, you can be a fan of whatever you want and I'll totally support you in it. In this world, there are issues of convictions and issues of preference, my love for LotD is not a conviction (since LotD cannot be a belief per say) but it is a preference. Quite frankly, if you were to disagree with me on an issue of conviction, I'd still support you because I do NOT want clones of me. Honestly, when I posted what I did about LotD, not only do I feel strongly about that statement and would totally defend that statement, but I was fearful of reprocussions from the community since I know how negatively controversial LotD is. Okay, I'll shutup now.

[krakenslayer]

I just wanted to say that I do acknowledge that not everyone, in fact, most do not agree with my assessment of LotD. I realize that out of Night, Dawn, Day & Land, it is Land that is the most hated and gets the most flack. I just want to say, you are absolutely entitled to your opinion, you are entitled to differ with me, in fact I think diversity is awesome so please keep it up, I would hate a world that was just clones of me everywhere (I SUCK!). And also, I need more than one mind to cull more than just my insight on things. More often than not, people have better insight than I do. On the same token, I'm just asking that you please don't attack me for liking LotD (so much that it's a classic for me) and please let me just be an LotD fan like I am. That's all I'm asking and I will give you the same rights, you can be a fan of whatever you want and I'll totally support you in it. In this world, there are issues of convictions and issues of preference, my love for LotD is not a conviction (since LotD cannot be a belief per say) but it is a preference. Quite frankly, if you were to disagree with me on an issue of conviction, I'd still support you because I do NOT want clones of me. Honestly, when I posted what I did about LotD, not only do I feel strongly about that statement and would totally defend that statement, but I was fearful of reprocussions from the community since I know how negatively controversial LotD is. Okay, I'll shutup now. Land of the Dead has both its fans and it detractors. What makes it different to the first three movies is how sharp the divide is - either it holds a special place in you heart (as it does for me somewhat) or you hate its festering guts.

[AcesandEights]

I'm just asking that you please don't attack me for liking LotD (so much that it's a classic for me) and please let me just be an LotD fan like I am. That's all I'm asking and I will give you the same rights, you can be a fan of whatever you want and I'll totally support you in it. I don't think you have too much to worry about, Dude. We do tend to joke a lot, though...so fair warning that there may well be some of that. And, admittedly, there have some ridiculously intense debates about Land, as well as Dawn 04 and, to a lesser extent, Diary. Just realize that often people here will be kidding and not being mean, though feel free to call them out when you disagree, of course. And welcome, btw.

[archivesofthede]

I too would love to see another story with Riley, Charlie, and Slack, but doubt it will ever happen. I think Land has some of the best characters out of all of Romero's films. This is an amazing idea and I'm with you 100%. Road Of The Dead would be amazing. I really did like those characters too, like the first posters stated. I loved Land of the Dead from start to finish. Despite what many have said about his latest films I'm still a GAR loyalist to the end. But, saying that.... George won't be around forever. I'm placing all my eggs in Zack Snyder's basket. *ducks for cover* I really want to see him continue with the story in 2004 Dawn Of The Dead. No more Watchmen.

[Cruxdustrial]

Universal was begging for a sequel to Dawn 04 (at one point it was the highest grossing r-rated horror film of all time and might still be, I'm not sure if it maintained that status or was usurped) and so Zack Snyder wrote Army of the Dead for Universal but declined to direct it due to previous engagements and contracts for other films. So Universal and Strike hired Matthijs van Heijningen Jr. to direct Army of the Dead. It is currently in pre-production and scheduled for release in 2010 or 2011 at the latest. Incidentally, one of my favorite horror films of ALL TIME, John Carpenter's The Thing, is getting a prequel thanks to Universal who also hired Matthijs van Heijningen Jr. to direct the prequel to The Thing, which is also currently in pre-production and scheduled for release next year, in 2010. So Mr. Heijningen has a lot on his plate. But ya know what I want more than the above.....something I'll probably never have....a Land of the Dead (LotD) 2. Ugh.....I know GAR is getting up in his years (he's almost 70) but he could live to be 128 (the oldest person, a Ukrainian woman, is 128 going on 129) and there is no saying he will die now or in the next decade or the decade after that, etc. I just wish that before he left this world, he would leave behind an LotD 2 like he said he would a couple years ago before this Diary stuff began.

[MoonSylver]

I too would love to see another story with Riley, Charlie, and Slack, but doubt it will ever happen. I think Land has some of the best characters out of all of Romero's films. This is pretty much my thoughts as well, w/ the exception I don't know if I would as they're SOME OF THE BEST, but I would say AS GOOD AS (splitting hairs? Fine distinction? Anyway...) Secondly, I hate Diary of the Dead and thought it was total garbage. No offense to any that hold this opinion, but I think the word "garbage" gets thrown around WAY too cavalierly. "COTLD" is garbage. "Zombie Lake" is garbage. "Alien Dead" is garbage. "Garden of the Dead", etc. This is NO WHERE NEAR that territory. I'll concede it's flawed. Possibly the least of the Dead films. I know many were disappointed in this from GAR, but let's keep some perspective & context hmmm? (dons asbestos suit for the incoming flames...)