Movies
Update: Romero’s Latest NOT a Sequel, First Casting Details!
Update: Schlock Around the Clock reports it will be a quasi-sequel, Movieset reports there will be underwater zombies, while STYD adds that it will take place on an island! Exciting! We learned of some very interesting info this morning that we’ve been trying to confirm for about a week now. What we have confirmed is that George A. Romero is currently in Toronto, Ontario shooting a new zombie movie, only it’s NOT a sequel to DIARY OF THE DEAD like originally announced. No word yet on what exactly it is, but we’re doing some more digging in hopes of finding out more. Something we did discover is that Alan Van Sprang is starring in the film, which reunites him with Romero for the third time (Land of the Dead, Diary of the Dead). He also starred in Saw III for Lionsgate.
Hollywood is serious about landing the next Backrooms. Hot on the heels of a Siren Head feature announcement, Deadline reports that a new movie based on viral YouTube series The Mandela Catalogue is in development.
It also has some Hollywood heavy hitters behind it.
Amblin Entertainment’s Steven Spielberg, United Artists’ Scott Stuber (Frankenstein), and Amazon MGM Studios are set to produce, emerging victorious after a highly competitive 11-studio bidding war.
Launched in 2021, the YouTube series is set in the fictional Mandela County, Wisconsin which is “invaded by shape-shifting, nearly immortal creatures called Alternates. The Alternates are led by a false depiction of the Archangel Gabriel and their aim is to wipe out the human race by psychologically torturing them to the point of suicide. The Alternates are known for manipulating AV media, TVs, computers and GPS systems.”
The movie will be directed by the series’ creator, Alex Kister, based on a screenplay he adapted with Tyler Clifton.
The Mandela Catalogue has racked up an impressive 100 million views across its official episodes alone, solidifying it as one of the largest original analog horror franchises on YouTube.
Spielberg and Holly Bario are producing for Amblin Entertainment alongside Aaron B. Koontz for Paper Street Pictures and Stuber and Nick Nesbitt for United Artists. Kister and Clifton are also producing. Annie McCreery will oversee the project for United Artists. Maria Fortese will oversee for Amblin.
Get acquainted with The Mangela Catalogue below while we wait to learn more.