Last May, we told you that George Romero was already working on a script for a Diary of the Dead sequel. In an interview with Fangoria, Romero revealed his plans for the sequel, basically stating that the film will explore just how divisive the issue of dealing with the zombie population is for the American people.
While no casting information has been confirmed, Bloody Disgusting reports that Romero will indeed begin filming Diary of the Dead 2 on September 15, 2008.
Energized by the creative freedom he had throughout filming Diary of the Dead, Romero has been working tirelessly to begin filming the sequel. As Brian mentioned here, Romero cancelled an appearance at a Michigan horror convention to attend pre-production meetings so that filming could commence as early as September. Of course, as someone from Michigan, I imagine one could think of several reasons to cancel an appearance in suburban Detroit– zombies being just one of them.
I’m not sure what went on while Romero was filming Diary of the Dead, but, from the way he talks about his latest film, Romero seems to be more passionate and excited about directing than ever. I get the feeling that making a studio film in Land of the Dead must have been a nightmare and making Diary with more control than ever and for a relatively modest budget was a revelation.
Diary of the Dead may have had a few problems, but the film had an energy to it that seemed to emanate from a passionate director more than the camera gimmicks. And although Romero’s political subtexts have been the subject of one too many bad college term papers, his examination of tribalism in Diary of the Dead 2 comes at a time when Americans are more divided than ever.
“It’s almost despite the fact that the dead are coming back to life that people are still in their own tribes and they have their own way of dealing with it and that’s really what it’s about,” Romero told Fangoria in an interview last Spring. “It’s about a conflict in terms of how do we deal with the dead. Do we kill them? Or, because it’s grandma, do we keep her around and feed her.”
While it is safe to assume that Romero will again rely on relatively unknown actors, a casting announcement should be coming soon. Diary of the Dead 2 begins filming in Toronto September 15, 2008.