- Primary Subject: Night of the Living Dead
- Key Update: Judith O'Dea revealed George A. Romero originally planned for Barbra to be the sole survivor instead of Ben.
- Status: Confirmed
- Last Verified: August 21, 2026
- Quick Answer: George A. Romero originally intended for Barbra to be the sole survivor of Night of the Living Dead before changing the final script.
Night of the Living Dead star Judith O’Dea reveals that George A. Romero had a different ending planned for her character, Barbra, far different from what fans saw in the movie.
Almost 60 years after the movie’s release, Night of the Living Dead has remained controversial for its seemingly biting social commentary and deeply political undertones.
However, instead of Ben (Duane Jones) being the sole human survivor after the horrific, night-long zombie siege inside the farmhouse, it looks like that was not supposed to happen at all.
How Was Night of the Living Dead Supposed to End for Barbra?
In Night of the Living Dead, Barbra and her brother, Johnny (Russell Streiner), were attacked by a ghoul, who eventually killed her sibling.
She then fled to an isolated farmhouse and worked together with Ben as they tried to survive that fateful night.
But as she was dragged out of the farmhouse by a group of zombies, including Johnny, she was stunned to see her undead brother and ended up being devoured alive.
Now, while promoting her new book, Night of the Living Dead: The Official Story of the Film, Judith O’Dea revealed that George A. Romero originally planned for her character to be the sole survivor of the night instead of Ben.
In fact, she should have been discovered alive by the posse waiting outside the farmhouse, with a close-up shot showing her tears, proving she was still human.
However, the filmmaker reconsidered and decided to have Johnny return to the scene, dragging his own sister into the horde.
“Barbra originally, in his concept, was going to be the only one to survive,” she told ComicBook. “George rethought that whole idea and thought, no, I think it would be more exciting if we had Russ come back and get her.”
However, at the time of filming, because she did not have the whole script, O’Dea had no idea what was supposed to happen. She only learned about the movie’s original ending during conventions with Romero himself.
“I never had a script ever. Maybe I’d get a page or two of the dialogue, whatever scene we were doing,” she explained. “I had no idea where Barbra was going to go. I only learned through conventions when George would join us.”
What’s Next for George A. Romero’s Zombie Legacy?
Night of the Living Dead didn’t just redefine modern horror by turning the slow-moving, flesh-eating ghoul into a global pop-culture icon; it also started George A. Romero’s zombie legacy.
The 1968 masterpiece showed how the legendary director used the zombie apocalypse as sharp social commentary to critique racism, consumerism, and humanity’s collapse, with humans often becoming the real monsters as surviving characters end up committing more cruelty than the undead.
Romero’s zombie universe already has six films on the roster: Night of the Living Dead (1968), Dawn of the Dead (1978), Day of the Dead (1985), Land of the Dead (2005), Diary of the Dead (2007), and Survival of the Dead (2009).
Now, following his death in 2017, the long-awaited finale to his iconic franchise, Twilight of the Dead, is finally in the works.
After co-writing a film treatment with screenwriter Paolo Zelati before his death, Romero’s widow, Suzanne Romero, later revived the project and oversaw the screenplay’s development in 2021.
Thankfully, after a long-gestating development process, the project has finally been revived with Kate Beckinsale as its lead and brothers Paz, Doron and Yoav Paz, serving as directors.
“Stepping into Romero’s world is the ultimate privilege for any genre filmmaker,” the new directors said in a joint statement (via Deadline). “This is more than a continuation, it’s a responsibility. We are committed to honoring his voice while delivering a visceral, terrifying, impactful experience for today’s audience that resonates beyond the screen.”
While details about the movie have not yet been revealed, it’s believed to follow Romero’s original film treatment, with the story set on a tropical island in a decimated world. The film reportedly follows the last remaining human survivors, a woman and her child, as they seek safety on a once-idyllic island that has become a safe haven for the undead.
Despite not being released yet, Twilight of the Dead is considered one of the most significant upcoming horror films and could serve as the definitive conclusion to Romero’s zombie legacy.
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