Zombies. Gladiators. Barker. The limits of undead carnage are about the pushed beyond the limits. The man who gave us Pinhead in Hellraiser is unleashing the undead on ancient Rome. Amazon.com has signed Clive Barker to write and direct Zombies vs Gladiators for Amazon Studios.

 From the press release:

  Based in ancient Rome, the Zombies vs. Gladiators story opens as a shaman who is about to die in the Coliseum casts a spell that unleashes the world’s first zombies.  It’s up to a gladiator to stop the spread of the zombie horde and save Rome. From the moment it debuted at Amazon Studios, Zombies vs. Gladiators has been one of the most creatively engaging scripts, spurring tremendous interest within the community and movie fans alike, indicating it’s mainstream and commercial viability for the studio.  As a result of this overwhelming and popular support, Amazon is moving forward to develop the project with Clive Barker at the helm.

  “Zombies vs. Gladiators is now in the hands of someone who has written genre-defining material throughout his career,” said Roy Price, director, Amazon Studios. “We are excited to see how Clive will add his unique narrative to capture the essence of this story and propel the project into something unique and original that could one day be enjoyed by all audiences.”

  Said Barker, “I’m excited by the opportunity to interweave two very rich narrative threads. One of them concerns itself with the reality of the decadence of Rome and its rise and fall. The other is a fantastical narrative element – the living dead. My brief to myself on this project is to give the audience not only zombies they have never seen before but also a Rome they have never seen before.”

  Barker added, “Amazon Studios offered up the dream ticket with this project. In twenty five years of working in this town, I’ve rarely had people listen to what I had to say as closely and as carefully as they did and then simply give me the freedom to go do it. Amazon Studios is an innovative creative concept. I am looking forward to providing my own perspective to make Zombies Vs. Gladiators a highly commercial and entertaining movie.”

 Thanks to TwitchFilm – which has a great bio of Barker.

This Geek’s Opinion:

The idea of Gladiators written by Barker is awesome. The idea of zombies by Barker is huge! Barker has always been a daring creator pushing the boundaries of sex and violence in his storytelling. From The Books of Blood to Hellraiser to Cabal – Barker’s writing is so visceral.

While it’s easy to remember Barker’s explicit work his projects include the compelling Gods and Monsters and his Abarat fantasy children’s book series.

I still hope to see his The Damnation Game on the big screen. Here’s the official Clive Barker site.

By Editor