Before Halloween 3's Tommy Lee Wallace got the gig, zombie master George Romero was set to direct the 1990 Night of the Living Dead, but his undead films are by no means his only worthwhile projects. Some other examples include Creepshow, arguably the best anthology horror ever, and The Dark Half, a highly underrated adaptation of a Stephen King novel.
One of Romero's most irable qualities was his commitment to creative independence, which tied into his general preference to work outside the traditional Hollywood studio system. Unfortunately, that could also at times be his undoing, as the amount of potential films Romero ended up not making is almost as long as his actual filmography. Many times, Romero would agree to work with a TV network or movie producer, only to depart later due to creative differences, such as with the Resident Evil movie adaptation.
No disrespect to Tommy Lee Wallace, who succeeded in crafting an iconic, albeit imperfect, IT miniseries, but the thought that Romero almost adapted one of King's greatest stories is one sure to intrigue most horror fans. Here's why his hiring didn't work out.
IT 1990 Originally Hired George Romero to Direct - Why He Quit
When George Romero first signed on to direct IT as a miniseries for ABC, the stated plan was to adapt Stephen King's gargantuan novel into a super-sized 10-hour program, which would be aired over five nights. There's certainly enough interesting material present in the book to fill that length, provided the script had been willing to explore subplots not entirely focused on the Losers' Club. Romero wasted no time in burying himself in the project, working closely with credited writer Lawrence D. Cohen on the script, drawing storyboards, and even consulting with the special effects team.
Unfortunately, executive meddling soon reared its ugly head. ABC got cold feet about such a lengthy miniseries, deciding to cut it from 10 hours to 8. Then it was further cut to 6, then finally to its final form, 4 hours airing over two nights. ABC was also worried Romero would try to make IT too gruesome for network standards, which based on his zombie films is actually somewhat understandable. Then again, they knew his resume when he was hired. Unhappy with the steadily decreasing length of the miniseries, and faced with a scheduling conflict involving his remake of Night of the Living Dead, Romero bowed out. While the final product that was IT 1990 remains a touchstone for many, one can't help but wonder what Romero's version would've looked like.
