‘The Fast And The Furious With Zombies’: George A. Romero On What To Expect From ‘Road Of The Dead’

Ever thought what Fast and the Furious would be like if Vin Diesel and Dwayne Johnson were switched out for zombies? If that sounds good, you're going to want to hear about George A. Romero's next zombie-filled thriller, Road of the Dead.

Romero recently sat down with Rue Morgue to talk about what he calls, "fast and the furious with zombies." The new thriller is apparently tied into 2005's Land of the Dead, taking place six years after the events of that movie. Keep in mind the ties between Romero's film from 2005 and his newest flick haven't been verified yet, so we'll have to wait for a preview of some sort to determine whether or not the two movies are truly connected.

For now, check out the synopsis Romero offered up as a tease for the new movie:

“It’s set in a sanctuary city where this fat cat runs a haven for rich folks, and one of the things that he does is stage drag races to entertain them. “There’s a scientist there doing genetic experiments, trying to make the zombies stop eating us, and he has discovered that with a little tampering, they can recall certain memory skills that enable them to drive in these races. So it’s a demolition derby with zombies at the wheels, and of course the shit hits the fan in other ways. It’s really a romp; it’s great fun, with stunts galore.”

Is road of the dead connected to land of the dead's continuity?

From what we can tell, the post-apocalyptic landscape of Road of the Dead seems awfully similar to that of its predecessor. In that storyline, a luxurious high-rise called Fiddler's Green was home to a haven of fat cats, while the newest Dead film will feature an entire city for society's wealthiest.

While the similarities between Romero's films stop there, his latest project sets to distinguish itself even more by utilizing a somewhat risky premise, setting the plot inside of a city where genetically modified zombies drive in demolition derbies. Or, to put it another way, the movie is Fast and the Furious, Resident Evil, Mad Max, Death Race, and Zombieland all rolled into one.

But honestly, who wouldn't want to see Fast and the Furious mixed up with zombies? You know the drivers are going to crash. When they do, the scene is going to open up to a river of blood and guts, which is ideally what we want to see in a Romero movie. As long as there are lots of stunts and careening cars and zombie deaths, Road of the Dead could turn out to be a great zombie film everyone can enjoy.

That said, Romero also included these minor details in regards to the tone of his next zombie movie:

"It’s more about suspense than blood. While there is gore, it’s not overt; there are no big, operatic sequences where people get torn apart. There’s slapstick in it, but it’s mostly stunts; it’s quite different. One character dies, for example, in a tragic way, but was once in NASCAR and is able to come back and drive. It’s that kind of looney-tunes.”

Romero also drops character hints.

Romero's additional commentary further indicates that Road of the Dead is a more of a humorous take on the zombie genre than a loyal horror feature.

As for characters, Romero didn't get too in-depth with his response, but he did hint at the cast and the fat cat who runs the zombie-race city. Here's what Romero had to say about the cast:

"...the scientist’s daughter, his girlfriend and several other people on his staff. And then, of course, you’ve got probably half a dozen important bad guys, some comic-relief characters."

While these comments aren't much to go off, the focus of its plot will evidently revolve around a scientist experimenting on zombies, with his family along for the ride.

Romero didn't add much else to his interview with Rue Morgue, but these hints should be proof enough that Road of the Dead could be as epic as we want it to be. Plus, when has Romero ever disappointed when it comes to making zombie movies? The answer to that question is never, and his confidence going into a project that features genetically engineered zombies racing cars should be enough to convince you that Romero's next flick is one you're going to want to see.

[Source: Rue Morgue]