The X-Files Almost Remade A Classic Horror Movie (With Steph
Jun 26, 2022 20:37:30 GMT -5
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Post by Dark Avenger on Jun 26, 2022 20:37:30 GMT -5
The X-Files Almost Remade A Classic Horror Movie (With Stephen King)
Iconic sci-fi/horror show The X-Files came close to remaking a classic horror movie with the help of both its creator and author Stephen King.
Horror master Stephen King came close to teaming up with The X-Files for an episode that remade a classic George Romero film. If the idea had come to fruition, it would not have been the first time King joined forces with The X-Files, as he penned the season 5 episode "Chinga" that people tend to either really love or really hate with little middle ground. Still, "Chinga" drew great ratings, as the combination of The X-Files and King proved to be one many were quite excited to see.
While The X-Files never did work with Romero, late inventor of the modern zombie genre, they did sometimes tell stories that took cues from his work. Considering how influential Romero was on the world of horror, that is no surprise. Sadly, Romero never really did much in the TV realm, preferring to keep his focus on feature films. He did at least create and produce the well-remembered 1980s horror anthology series Tales from the Darkside.
Romero's potential collaboration with The X-Files would have actually hearkened back to the beginning of his career, with Romero directing an episode that served as a remake of sorts of Night of the Living Dead. It is unclear exactly how Mulder and Scully would have been incorporated into the plot, but King wanted to pen the script, and actually approached X-Files producers about the idea. King and Romero's Night of the Living Dead remake episode was tentatively planned to be part of The X-Files season 7, and the two men even met in person with the show's team, but ultimately things didn't work out for reasons not entirely clear.
Interestingly, The X-Files season 7 would still play host to a zombie episode with "Millennium," which served as a crossover with X-Files creator Chris Carter's other show Millennium. It is unclear if the use of zombies in "Millennium" was intended as some kind of substitute for Romero and King's planned Night of the Living Dead episode, but the timing does seem curious if nothing else. As for why the Night of the Living Dead remake fell through, the most likely culprit would be some kind of creative difference. Romero was known for being his own man creatively, and not someone who liked to compromise his visions, as evidenced by the mountain of unmade movies Romero left behind. It's worth noting though that he did film Bruiser around this same time, so scheduling could have played a part too.
If this episode of The X-Files written by King and directed by Romero had come to pass, it would admittedly have been far from the first attempt at remaking Night of the Living Dead. Thanks to an infamous copyright error in 1968, Night of the Living Dead instantly became public domain, sadly denying Romero his share of the millions of dollars it would go on to earn. Romero did officially sanction one of the remakes, which was released in 1990 and was directed by frequent Romero collaborator Tom Savini. That remake starred Candyman actor Tony Todd, who in turn went on to star in the pretty good season 3 episode of The X-Files called "Sleepless." Hollywood is truly a small world sometimes.
While The X-Files never did work with Romero, late inventor of the modern zombie genre, they did sometimes tell stories that took cues from his work. Considering how influential Romero was on the world of horror, that is no surprise. Sadly, Romero never really did much in the TV realm, preferring to keep his focus on feature films. He did at least create and produce the well-remembered 1980s horror anthology series Tales from the Darkside.
Romero's potential collaboration with The X-Files would have actually hearkened back to the beginning of his career, with Romero directing an episode that served as a remake of sorts of Night of the Living Dead. It is unclear exactly how Mulder and Scully would have been incorporated into the plot, but King wanted to pen the script, and actually approached X-Files producers about the idea. King and Romero's Night of the Living Dead remake episode was tentatively planned to be part of The X-Files season 7, and the two men even met in person with the show's team, but ultimately things didn't work out for reasons not entirely clear.
Interestingly, The X-Files season 7 would still play host to a zombie episode with "Millennium," which served as a crossover with X-Files creator Chris Carter's other show Millennium. It is unclear if the use of zombies in "Millennium" was intended as some kind of substitute for Romero and King's planned Night of the Living Dead episode, but the timing does seem curious if nothing else. As for why the Night of the Living Dead remake fell through, the most likely culprit would be some kind of creative difference. Romero was known for being his own man creatively, and not someone who liked to compromise his visions, as evidenced by the mountain of unmade movies Romero left behind. It's worth noting though that he did film Bruiser around this same time, so scheduling could have played a part too.
If this episode of The X-Files written by King and directed by Romero had come to pass, it would admittedly have been far from the first attempt at remaking Night of the Living Dead. Thanks to an infamous copyright error in 1968, Night of the Living Dead instantly became public domain, sadly denying Romero his share of the millions of dollars it would go on to earn. Romero did officially sanction one of the remakes, which was released in 1990 and was directed by frequent Romero collaborator Tom Savini. That remake starred Candyman actor Tony Todd, who in turn went on to star in the pretty good season 3 episode of The X-Files called "Sleepless." Hollywood is truly a small world sometimes.
