SyFy's Day Of The Dead - What We Know So Far

When horror fans think of zombies, plenty of directors likely come to mind. From Danny Boyle's grounded and gritty take on the genre in "28 Days Later" to Edgar Wright's expert dissection of horror tropes in "Shaun of the Dead," there's no shortage of filmmakers making must-see movies about the undead. However, there is only one director who holds the top spot in the annals of zombie movie history: the late, great George A. Romero. Romero's role as the godfather of the modern zombie movie was established in films like "Night of the Living Dead" and "Dawn of the Dead." This has led to multiple remakes, adaptations, and retellings of his movies time and time again.

This fall, SyFy will bring audiences a brand-new series based on Romero's 1985 horror classic "Day of the Dead." Ahead of the premiere, let's dig into all of the things fans should know about the SyFy TV show.

The first season of "Day of the Dead" will debut on October 15, making it perfectly timed for Halloween viewing parties. The release date was revealed in the gory, profanity-filled trailer released by SyFy at the end of July (via YouTube). The upcoming SyFy zombie series received a straight-to-series order in February 2020. It was also confirmed that the first season would run for 10 episodes.

From a marketing perspective, there is a lot of logic in releasing a series called "Day of the Dead" in that mid-October window. Horror franchises like "Paranormal Activity" and "Saw" have seen massive success by aligning their premiere dates with Halloween to capitalize on fan enthusiasm during this spooky time of the year. It's also worth remembering that AMC's "The Walking Dead," which arguably remains the reigning champion of zombie TV shows, also opted for this release strategy by debuting on Halloween in 2010, per IMDb.

A good ensemble almost always helps elevate zombie fiction. SyFy's "Day of the Dead" has assembled a long list of performers to help, uh, flesh out its cast. According to IMDb, the "Day of the Dead" cast includes Keenan Tracey ("The Hunters") as Cam McDermott, Daniel Doheny ("Brand New Cherry Flavor") as Luke Bowman, Natalie Malaika ("The Sinners") as Lauren Howell, Morgan Holmstrom ("Siberia") as Sarah Blackwood, and Kristy Dawn Dinsmore ("Evil Feed") as Amy.

One interesting thing about the "Day of the Dead" cast list is that it brings in veteran actors, including actor Kevin O'Grady ("Fargo"), who plays Rhodes. This character was originally played by Joseph Pilato in Romero's movie. Pilato's Rhodes character has become a horror icon for his legendary "Choke on 'em" line (via YouTube). With one notable reference to 1985's "Day of the Dead" revealed, there is a strong possibility more references to the SyFy show's source material will appear throughout the season.

As previously mentioned, "Day of the Dead" is inspired by George A. Romero's film "Day of the Dead." Deadline's announcement on the show's straight-to-series order also included a plot synopsis. The synopsis reads: "'Day of the Dead' is the intense story of six strangers trying to survive the first 24 hours of an undead invasion." Amidst the chaos, this group of strangers, with their varying degrees of competence about zombie survival, will come together to prevent unwanted zombie bites and save whoever they can.

While "Day of the Dead" is inspired by Romero's work, there are some notable differences between his film and the SyFy show. One key difference is that Romero's "Day of the Dead" took place a significant amount of time after the start of the zombie apocalypse, while "Day of the Dead" Season 1 focuses on the first day of carnage. The show will also pay homage to the original by including a character named Cam McDermott, who may be named after the McDermott character played by Jarlath Conroy in the "Day of the Dead" (per IMDb). Despite these similarities, it's important to note that SyFy's "Day of the Dead" will not be a 1:1 remake of the film.

Just like zombies themselves, the zombie genre is difficult to kill, and we can expect plenty of the usual blood and guts when "Day of the Dead" premieres. The new SyFy show debuts on October 15.