DAY OF THE DEADCasting News

Contrary to popular belief, remakes are not inherently evil. Admittedly I was up in arms when the Night of the Living Dead remake was announced. How dare they attempt to recreate the movie that defined the modern zombie film? The final product, however, turned out to be pretty cool. When I first heard of the Dawn of the Dead remake I was again overcome with reluctance, but guess what? Also a cool flick, even though it still bugs me that you had to be bitten to become a zombie. I prefer my walking dead to be more spontaneous.

If you're going to remake a film, though, I suggest one might be better off redoing a film that didn't work perfectly the first time around rather than a classic. 1985's Day of the Dead, the third entry in Romero's Dead series, has its admirers, but I am most definitely not one of them. I rewatched Day not long ago, and while the action and gore are well done, the script is overly talky, the characters are flat as an Olympic gymnast, and it's all topped off with a lead actress who cannot act. If ever there was a movie that needed a do-over it was Day of the Dead.

Due for a 2007 release, the new Day of the Dead is being directed by Steve Miner, director of Halloween H2O, and Friday the 13th Parts 2 and 3. The screenplay is by Jeffrey Reddick who penned Final Destination.

What's even more interesting, though, are the casting announcements recently posted on BloodyDisgusting.com. Academy Award winner Mira Sorvino is joining the cast as is Ving Rhames. Rhames, of course, starred in the Dawn of the Dead remake, and BloodyDisgusting.com claims he has been cast in order to link the two films. It was my initial understanding that the Day remake was to be a standalone film and not a sequel to the 2004 Dawn. It's not clear if Rhames will be reprising his roll as Kenneth or if he's playing another character entirely.