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

For artwork or screeners, please log on to our Web site at www.ushepublicity.com or fax your request to Universal Studios Home Entertainment Publicity at (818) 866-0226

Universal Studios Home Entertainment is a unit of Universal Pictures, a division of Universal Studios (www.universalstudios.com). Universal Studios is a part of NBC Universal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. Formed in May 2004 through the combining of NBC and Vivendi Universal Entertainment, NBC Universal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and Entertainment networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group, and world-renowned theme parks. NBC Universal is 80%-owned by General Electric, with 20% controlled by Vivendi Universal.

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

Web site: http://www.landofthedeadgame.com/

Web site: http://www.landofthedeadmovie.net/

Web site: http://www.ushepublicity.com/

Web site: http://www.universalstudios.com/

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