Displaying an insatiable desire for all things undead of late, AMC has reportedly picked up the TV rights for George Romero’s Empire of the Dead, which is being angled as the network’s “new big zombie series.”
That’s according to the comic book’s lead artist Arthur Suydam, and it should be noted that AMC has yet to release anything official. Either way, here’s what Suydam had to say while speaking to WHAS11 (via Bleeding Cool):
The series that I just finished up for Marvel Comics as a matter of fact, so this is me and George Romero… This just got signed to AMC. This is going to be the new big zombie series on AMC, it’s expected to be this one right here.
Our knee-jerk reaction would be to take this one with a grain of salt; AMC has, after all, already set up both The Walking Dead and prequel offshoot Fear the Walking Dead, and adding a third genre property to its annual slate would surely risk the onset of zombie fatigue.
Situated in New York City, Romeo’s Empire of the Dead distances itself from its genre contemporaries in that it set long after the zombie apocalypse, with the core story revolving around a pocket of vampires. Releasing as a 15-issue miniseries that ran between January, 2014 and August, 2015, the author’s story is certainly a departure from the normal zombies series.
Could AMC really pluck George Romero – held up as the godfather of the zombie genre – and his Empire of the Dead for an all-new live-action series? We’ll keep you updated as this story unfolds. Until then, here’s a brief synopsis of the pilot installment of the flesh-munching comic.
ZOMBIE GODFATHER GEORGE ROMERO UNLEASHES HIS NEXT UNDEAD EPIC—AS AN ALL-NEW MARVEL COMIC! 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! Plus: It’s a terrorizing team-up in variant cover form when the Zombie Godfather unites with the Zombie King – Arthur Suydam!
