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Living Dead legend Romero slates The Walking Dead
Zombie pioneer isn't much impressed with the series.
Director of benchmark movies like 'Night of the Living Dead' George A. Romero has slammed AMC zombie drama 'The Walking Dead' as 'a soap opera'.
He added that he also turned down an offer to take part in the show, which last month scored an all-time cable TV ratings record in the US with its season four premiere.
“They asked me to do a couple of episodes of 'The Walking Dead' but I didn't want to be a part of it,” Romero told the Big Issue.
[The changing face of the zombie movie]
“Basically it's just a soap opera with a zombie occasionally. I always used the zombie as a character for satire or a political criticism and I find that missing in what's happening now.”
However, he did make one interesting omission – he's never watched it.
[Brad Pitt talks World War Z sequel]
“I love the [comic] books, [but] I never watched any of the episodes because… my zombies are sort of my own,” he said.
“I've been waiting to see the whole first season, which I missed because I've been travelling. I've been waiting to look at it, but I haven't seen any of it.”
Original show-runner Frank Darabont has said that he was heavily influenced by Romero's zombie vision in the first series of the show.
The show, which stars British actor Andrew Lincoln, was renewed for a fifth season only this week.
Check out comedian Joe Wilkinson's take on the zombie genre...
