George A. Romero's 'Land of the Dead'

George A. Romero's 'Land of the Dead'

Universal Studios Home Entertainment Announces:

John Leguizamo, Simon Baker and Dennis Hopper Star in the Godfather of Gore's Most Terrifying and Action-Packed Zombie Thriller Yet

New Unrated Director's Cut Lurches Onto DVD October 18, 2005

"The Only Summer Movie That Matters This Year...'Land of the Dead' is Romero's Long-Awaited Masterpiece..." - Aaron Hillis, Premiere Magazine

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif., Oct. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- Legendary filmmaker George A. Romero ("Night of the Living Dead," "Day of the Dead," "Dawn of the Dead,") credited as the originator of the modern zombie horror franchise, is back with another terrifying trip to hell as his latest tour de force, George A. Romero's "Land of the Dead," comes to DVD in the highly anticipated Unrated Director's Cut as well as the theatrical R-rated version on October 18, 2005. Drenched with his trademark sly humor and wall-to-wall mayhem, Romero takes the horror genre to an entirely new level as the zombies now have the ability to think and communicate. "Land of the Dead" stars John Leguizamo ("Collateral Damage," "Empire"), Simon Baker ("The Ring Two," "The Guardian") and Dennis Hopper ("E-Ring," "Speed") in this action-packed race to save mankind from a depraved army of the dead. Packed with gruesome bonus features appealing to all fans of action horror, the DVD is priced at $29.98 SRP.

In this brand new adventure from the man who revolutionized horror films with his 1968 fright classic, "Night of the Living Dead," zombies now dominate the world. The few remaining humans have taken refuge behind the walls of the city, a fortified compound that holds the cannibalistic cadavers at bay. When the walking corpses evolve into killing machines with human intelligence, Riley (Simon Baker), a mercenary in the employ of wealthy speculator Kaufman (Dennis Hopper), is ordered to combat the fearsome gang of berserk marauders. With the very survival of the city at stake, an additional threat builds within their ranks, as Cholo (John Leguizamo) attempts to spark a revolution against the wealthy while they hide in the safety of their skyscrapers.

CRITICS EAGERLY DEVOUR 'LAND OF THE DEAD'

"Land of the Dead" satisfies the appetites of leading reviewers for fiendish chaos and bloodthirsty gallows humor. "'Land of the Dead' is Romero's long-awaited masterpiece," raves Aaron Hillis of Premiere. Manohla Dargis of the New York Times lauds it as "An excellent freakout of a movie" while The Philadelphia Inquirer declares, "The zombie king is back -- this is Romero's most impressive film."

BONUS FEATURES TO DIE FOR

The DVD features gruesome and exhilarating glimpses into Romero's richly imagined world of the undead.

* Undead Again: The Making of "Land of the Dead" - Go behind-the-scenes and onto the set for an insider's look at the blood, sweat and ... more blood that went into the creation of George A. Romero's most spectacular zombie film yet! * A Day with the Living Dead - From "first call" to "wrap," star John Leguizamo takes you on a humorous personal tour through an entire working day. * The Remaining Bits - These tasty deleted scenes are definitely not your average movie leftovers! * Feature Commentary - Director George A. Romero guides you through the newest monsterpiece. * When Shaun Met George - Stars from the cult hit "Shaun of the Dead" (Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright) have some ghoulish fun with the cast and crew during their cameos.

DVD Unrated Exclusives include:

* Bringing the Dead to Life - The film's makeup artist Greg Nicotero offers insights into the fine art of crafting a convincing creepy zombie. * Scenes of Carnage - A killer music video featuring the movie's most outlandish scenes! * Zombie Effects: From Green Screen to Finished Scene - See how zombie-actors, an unfinished set and computer-generated imagery combine to create the chilling illusion of reality. * Bringing the Storyboards to Life - A step-by-step comparison of storyboard drawings and the final terrifying result captured on film. * Scream Tests: Zombie Casting Call - Real-life and computer-generated zombies strut their undead stuff!

Gamers are Gearing Up For Zombie Action

Groove Games is releasing Land of the Dead: Road to Fiddler's Green, a pre-quel leading up to the events of George A. Romero's "Land of the Dead." Land of the Dead: Road to Fiddler's Green is a full-featured, first-person shooter video game that sets players in the midst of a gruesome adventure as they battle to save themselves -- and a quickly-diminishing living population -- from an army of the dead bent on spreading a zombie plague. Developed by Brainbox Games, a Digital Extremes Studio, and using the Unreal(R) Engine, the game features terrifying zombies, frightening effects, an immersive storyline and key environments seen in the film. Gamers can also join intense, bone-chilling multiplayer battles against the dead on Xbox Live(TM). Land of the Dead: Road to Fiddler's Green will be available the week of October 17th at an estimated retail price of $29.99 for Xbox and $19.99 for PC. For more information, visit www.landofthedeadgame.com.

Synopsis

In a harrowing vision of a post-apocalyptic world, zombies have turned all but a few fortified cities into desolate wasteland. Behind city walls, pockets of humanity cling to survival in a brutal society built by a handful of enterprising, ruthless opportunists like Kaufman (Dennis Hopper), who insulate themselves in high-rise towers and employ a band of mercenaries led by Riley (Simon Baker) to scavenge the countryside for food and other necessities, while the poor fend for themselves. When the previously mindless, slow-moving zombies begin to evolve into cunning, crafty killers and organize for a final catastrophic attack, a group of hardened mercenaries is called into action to protect the living from an army of the dead, even as they battle a rogue mercenary (John Leguizamo) who threatens the existence of their safe haven.

For more information please visit: www.landofthedeadmovie.net.

CAST & FILMMAKERS Director: George A. Romero Written By: George A. Romero Produced By: Mark Canton, Bernie Goldmann, Peter Grunwald Director of Photography: Miroslaw Baszak Production Designer: Arv Greywal Edited By: Michael Doherty Costume Designer: Alex Kavanagh Music By: Reinhold Heil, Johnny Klimek, M.E. Law Cast: Simon Baker, John Leguizamo, Dennis Hopper, Asia Argento

TECHNICAL INFORMATION DVD Street Date: October 18, 2005 Copyright: 2005 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved. Price: $29.98 SRP ($19.95 MAP) Selection Numbers: 27265 (R); 28832 (Unrated, Full Frame); 28702 (Unrated, Widescreen) Running Time: 1 hour 37 minutes (Unrated); 1 hour 33 minutes (R) Layers: Dual (Single Sided) Aspect Ratio: Anamorphic Widescreen (2.35:1); Full Frame Rating: R (pervasive strong violence and gore, language, brief sexuality and some drug use) and Not Rated Technical Info: English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround/DTS 5.1 Surround/Captions; English, French and Spanish Subtitles

VHS Street Date: October 18, 2005 Copyright: 2005 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved. Price: $29.98 SRP ($19.95 MAP) Selection Numbers: 63199 Running Time: 1 hour 33 Minutes Aspect Ratio: Full Frame Rating: R (pervasive strong violence and gore, language, brief sexuality and some drug use) Technical Info: Hi-Fi Stereo Surround

UMD Street Date: October 18, 2005 Pre-Order Close: September 13, 2005 Copyright: 2005 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved. Price: $29.98 SRP Selection Number: 28626 Running Time: 1 hour 37 minutes Layers: Dual (Single Sided) Aspect Ratio: Anamorphic Widescreen (2.35:1) Rating: Not Rated Technical Info: Stereo; English, French and Spanish Subtitles

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CONTACTS Universal Studios Home Entertainment Vivian Mayer Senior Vice President, Publicity (818) 777-3594

Evan Fong Executive Director, Publicity (818) 777-5540

Craig Radow Senior Manager, Publicity (818) 777-4572

Alexia Necoechea Manager, Broadcast Publicity (818) 777-0549

Source: Universal Studios Home Entertainment

CONTACT: Vivian Mayer, Senior Vice President, Publicity, +1-818-777-3594, or Evan Fong, Executive Director, Publicity, +1-818-777-5540, or Craig Radow, Senior Manager, Publicity, +1-818-777-4572, or Alexia Necoechea, Manager, Broadcast Publicity, +1-818-777-0549, all of Universal Studios Home Entertainment

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