George Romero’s Empire Of The Dead shuffles to television

Zombies are all the rage on television right now; so it's no surprise that Demarest, the company which backed "A Most Wanted Man" and Kevin Smith's "Tusk," is now developing a television adaptation of George A. Romero's 15-issue comic book series "Empire of the Dead."

The series will be written by Romero and longtime partner Peter Grunwald. Both will also serve as executive producers, alongside Demarest's Sam Englebardt and William D. Johnson.

For those unfamiliar, "Empire of the Dead," which is published by Marvel Comics, is a loose continuation of the world depicted in Romero's films and is set in New York City years after a zombie plague. Though zombies in the comic are similar to those seen in his films, Romero shakes things up a bit by also throwing in vampires.

Here's the official description of the comic book series, with the "ancient predator" of course being vampires:

"Welcome to New York City years after the undead plague has erupted—but just because Manhattan has been quarantined, don’t think that everyone inside is safe! Not only do flesh-eaters roam within Manhattan, but there’s another ancient predator about to take a bite out of the Big Apple!"

[Variety]