EXCLUSIVE: Independent Film Company (formerly IFC) and Shudder have acquired North American rights to the horror comedy Queens of the Dead from filmmaker Tina Romero, daughter of legendary “Godfather of Zombies” George A. Romero.
Paying tribute to the zombies from the elder Romero’s classic zombie films with a fresh, contemporary, and queer twist, the film will be released in theaters this fall, after winning the Audience Award for Best Narrative Film in its Tribeca world premiere.
In Romero’s debut feature, co-written with comedian Erin Judge, on which we were first to report last July, a zombie apocalypse breaks out in Brooklyn on the night of a giant warehouse party, where an eclectic group of drag queens, club kids, and frenemies must put aside their drama and use their unique skills to fight against the brain-thirsty, scrolling undead.
The film’s ensemble includes Katy O’Brian (Love Lies Bleeding), Jaquel Spivey (Mean Girls), Tomas Matos (Fire Island), Nina West (RuPaul’s Drag Race), Quincy Dunn-Baker (No Hard Feelings), Jack Haven (I Saw the TV Glow), Cheyenne Jackson (American Horror Story), Dominique Jackson (Pose), stand-up comic Margaret Cho, Riki Lindhome (Knives Out), Eve Lindley (Dispatches from Elsewhere), Becca Blackwell (Survival of the Thickest), Shaunette Renée Wilson (Black Panther), and NYC drag artist Julie J.
In a statement to Deadline on the acquisition, director Romero said, “Independent Film Company and Shudder couldn’t be a more perfect home for QUEENS OF THE DEAD. I’m honored to partner with such a kickass and creative team of people who really love movies, and I’m so grateful for their belief in giving indie darlings a moment on the big screen because I think this is a film people will want to see together. With popcorn. Dressed in zombie couture.”
Added Independent Film Company and Shudder’s Director of Acquisitions and Productions, Adam Koehler, who negotiated the deal, “We’re beyond thrilled to bring this wildly original vision to audiences—a fearless, glam-drenched ride that’s as funny as it is ferocious. With razor-sharp direction and a fierce cast, QUEENS OF THE DEAD is a thrilling new chapter in a legacy of horror royalty.”
Queens of the Dead was produced by Matthew Lee Miller and Natalie Metzger for Vanishing Angle. Miller negotiated the deal on behalf of the filmmakers.
