For decades, audiences all across the world have been completely obsessed with any and all things zombie-related, with movies and television shows expertly tackling the bloody horror brand. Fans of the chilling genre have been quite spoiled in recent years, as Hollywood has been on a roll, churning out one gory project after another.
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When The Walking Dead made its spectacular debut in 2010, viewers went crazy for it, and the apocalyptic series kicked off a resurgence in popularity for zombie media. From highly-anticipated spin-offs of the juggernaut program like The Ones Who Live, to the late and great George A. Romero’s long-awaited Twilight of the Dead, zombie-lovers are in for a treat this year. Here are some upcoming zombie movies and TV shows to watch out for in 2024.
9 Lisa Frankenstein – February 9th
A zany and delightfully offbeat retelling of the acclaimed Mary Shelley classic, the horror comedy Lisa Frankenstein will mark the directorial debut of Zelda Williams (daughter of the late comedian extraordinaire Robin Williams), and tells the story of teenage outcast Lisa Swallows (Kathryn Newton) as she inadvertently reanimates a Victorian corpse (Cole Sprouse) via a tanning machine in 1989. Together, the murderous duo fall in love and leave chaos in their wake as Lisa attempts to mold the zombie into her perfect man.
Breathing New Life Into the Horror Classic
Oscar-winning writer and producer Diablo Cody penned the screenplay for the uproarious adaptation, and Williams has promised curious minds that Lisa Frankenstein will be unlike any other zombie flick they have previously seen and sets itself apart from fellow reboots and remakes:
“I know Hollywood gets a bad rep for regurgitating sequels and remakes and reboots over and over and over… and yeah, it totally does that! But it’s also finally letting me make the most bonkers, wonderful zombie script I’ve ever read, and for that, I will be forever grateful!”
8 The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live – February 24th
The world’s beloved zombie killing machine, Rick Grimes will make his spectacular return to the small screen in the post-apocalyptic series The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live, which will follow the former sheriff as he fights to be reunited with lady love Michonne in a world ravaged by terrifying foes both alive and undead. Andrew Lincoln, Danai Gurira, and Pollyanna McIntosh are reprising their roles, and are joined by Lost alum Terry O’Quinn and Lucifer star Lesley-Ann Brandt.
The Buzzed-About Return of Rick & Michonne
Rick and Michonne’s endearing love story will continue on in the highly-anticipated program, after Lincoln departed The Walking Dead back in 2019 when his character was seemingly killed during a bridge explosion after sacrificing himself. Lincoln was excited to portray to his fearless character Rick after a multiple-year hiatus, stating during the show’s press tour:
“It was remarkably easy putting the cowboy boots back on. My knees hurt a bit more, but apart from that it was great to be the sheriff again.”
Gurira was also excited to see what fate had in store for the star-crossed lovers, revealing that the series will tackle the zombie genre a little differently:
“It’s an apocalyptic epic love narrative. The epic love story aspect is what distinguishes it from other iterations of this world. We didn’t get to explore it a ton on the (original series). When love is the driving force, when it is the propelling thing, when it is making the plot move, what does that look like?”
7 Beetlejuice Beetlejuice – September 6th
Fans of Tim Burton and his ’80s horror comedy masterpiece Beetlejuice rejoiced when news broke that a long-awaited sequel was finally in the works, with original stars Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, and Catherine O’Hara all reprising their roles from the celebrated classic. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice will focus on a grown-up Lydia Deetz and her daughter Astrid as they are ultimately reunited with the titular miscreant, though much of the plot has been kept tightly under wraps.
An Elite Ensemble Cast
Wednesday sensation Jenna Ortega joins the follow-up as Astrid, while Monica Bellucci will portray Betelgeuse’s wife, and acting chameleon Willem Dafoe rounds out the new additions as a former B movie actor-turned-ghost detective in the afterlife. O’Hara, who played Lydia’s uptight mother Delia in the original hit, talked about how thrilled she was to actually have more scenes with Keaton’s misfit character, telling People Magazine:
“I had a little two person moment with Michael as Beetlejuice. I’d been in the first movie in group scenes with Michael, but in this, I had an actual moment where the two of us just. And it was just so crazy and thrilling, really to just be face-to-face with Beetlejuice.”
6 The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon – September 10th
Devoted viewers of The Walking Dead couldn’t get enough of the stoic, crossbow-wielding Daryl Dixon for eleven sensational seasons, and people were over-the-moon when it was revealed that the fan-favorite character would be getting his own spin-off series. The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon focuses on the courageous hunter as he embarks upon a dangerous mission overseas in France on his journey to return home, crossing paths with a slew of both dead and undead threats along the way.
Daryl & Carol Reunite
The first season of Daryl Dixon garnered rave reviews upon its premiere, with many critics calling it the best Walking Dead content created in years. Production for the second season was completed in December 2023, and fans will be ecstatic to hear that Melissa McBride (the tough-as-nails Carol Peletier) will be starring alongside Norman Reedus in the follow-up season that will be entitled The Walking Dead: The Book of Carol. Her character had previously made an appearance in the first season finale, much to the delight of audiences everywhere.
5 Crawlers – October 10th
Set in the year 2030, a group of American survivors set out on a dangerous mission to seek refuge in a Mexican sanctuary after a zombie apocalypse rocks the world in the horror film Crawlers. The desperate and determined group believes ‘El Santuario del Sur is one of the few places left that hasn’t been ravaged by the undead, yet getting to the safe haven will be a terrifying journey as they face a hoard of flesh-craving creatures.
A Highly-Anticipated Directorial Follow-Up
Gisyerg Bermudez wrote and directed the gory flick, who had previously helmed the underrated Spanish horror film El Silbón: Orígenes and drama Simbiosis. Gisyerg is also developing a television series that will be inspired by the zombie film, which will further explore the horrific and grisly new world. Crawlers is scheduled to premiere just in time for Halloween 2024 and will also be a Hulu exclusive.
4 We Bury the Dead – TBA
Star Wars breakout star Daisy Ridley is poised to headline the upcoming zombie horror extravaganza We Bury the Dead, a pulse-pounding and emotionally compelling film that will center on the determined young woman Ava as she embarks on a dangerous mission to locate her missing husband after a devastating military experiment goes horribly awry and ravages the land. When Ava decides to increase her odds at finding her partner and joins a “body retrieval unit,” she is left horrified when the corpses she’s handling begin to exhibit movement.
A Complex Zombie Experience
Zak Hilditch (1922, Rattlesnake) wrote the screenplay, and is directing the chilling flick, and has called We Bury the Dead the spiritual successor to his 2013 apocalyptic thriller These Final Hours. One of the movie’s production companies, Screen Australia, had said of the project: “We Bury the Dead promises a fresh take on the zombie/horror genre and plenty of gut-wrenching thrills for audiences, whilst delving deep into the world of loss, grief and the undead.”
3 The Walking Dead: Dead City – Season 2 – TBA
Devoted fans of the baseball bat-wielding reformed villain Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) and resilient apocalypse survivor Maggie (Lauren Cohan) are stoked for the impending second season of their spin-off series The Walking Dead: Dead City, which debuted in June 2023 and followed the at-odds pair as they traveled through a ravaged New York City in a desperate search for Maggie’s kidnapped son Hershel. Together, they must join forces to find the boy while facing walkers and dangerous human threats.
A Buzzed-About Sophomore Season
The first season of the horror series helped revitalize the enduring franchise, as fans were eager to see how sworn enemies Negan and Maggie would interact in a new environment and under high-stakes circumstances. Just one month after Dead City‘s premiere, the series was renewed for a second season, which will continue to chronicle the mounting conflicts and standoff between the at-odd leads. AMC President Dan McDermott announced to devoted viewers:
“We can’t wait to bring Dead City fans back to the epicenter of Manhattan for more zip-lining action with Maggie and Negan.”
2 Marvel Zombies – TBA
Based on the comic book series of the same name, the Disney+ miniseries Marvel Zombies takes place within an alternate timeline of the MCU and picks up following the events of a What If…? episode, with a ragtag group of survivors taking on some of the world’s beloved zombified villains and heroes. The intriguing and unique show features the vocal talents of stars like Randall Park, Iman Vellani, and Andy Le, and will consist of four thrilling episodes.
A Bloody Good Time
Famous Marvel faces like Black Widow, Shang-Chi, Captain America, and Scarlet Witch will all appear as alternate versions of their characters in the chilling universe, and the series will explore the mythology that was first introduced in the What If…? episode. Marvel Studios revealed that the upcoming adaptation would be its first animated series to receive a TV-MA rating, in order to include plenty of “gore and splatter you want from a zombie show”.
1 Twilight of the Dead – TBA
After years of production woes, studio run-arounds, and the death of horror master George A. Romero, the late and revered director’s conclusion to his fan-favorite zombie franchise, Night of the Living Dead, is finally in the works. Twilight of the Dead has been in the works since the early 2010s, after Romero was dissatisfied with the way both Diary of the Dead and Survival of the Dead ended.
A Horror Sequel Worth the Wait
Romero began working on the script with co-writer Paolo Zelati and wanted to explore what happens to the group of survivors from Land of the Dead and showcase the total destruction of humanity. Sadly, Romero passed away in 2017 from lung cancer, and the project was never able to come to fruition, with the studio putting the sequel on the back burner.
In 2021, it was revealed that the film was back in development, with Romero’s wife Suzanne telling The Hollywood Reporter: “This is the film he wanted to make. And while someone else will carry the torch as the director, it is very much a George A. Romero film.”
Brad Anderson (The Machinist, The Call) has signed on to direct the horror flick, with production of the project beginning in the fall of 2023. No cast members or release date has been revealed, though Twilight of the Dead is going to: “delve into the dark nature of humanity from the perspective of the last humans on earth who are caught between factions of the undead.”
