Although George A. Romero’s genre classic Night of the Living Dead is almost 50 years old, it’s still influencing horror filmmakers from all walks of life. The latest addition to the ever-growing list of zombie flicks is Night of the Living Dead: Darkest Dawn, which the official press release describes as a “graphic novel come to life.” In short, directors Krisztian Majdik and Zebediah Y. DeSoto have taken Romero’s masterpiece and given it a modern, computer-generated spin.

As you can tell from the following synopsis, a few things are different.

This is the story of a group of survivors fighting to stay alive when a mysterious plague unleashes the undead on New York City. Barricaded in an abandoned apartment building, the characters from the original film face new terror and question each other’s compassion and sense of humanity as they fight to stay alive against the army of the walking dead.

Darkest Dawn sports an impressive number of genre veterans amongst its cast. Included in the batch of talent are Tony Todd, Danielle Harris, Bill Moseley, R. Madhaven, Joseph Pilato, Tom Sizemore, Alona Tal, Sarah Habel, Sydney Tamiia Poitier, Audrey Grace Davis, and Nazhi McCullough.

Night of the Living Dead: Darkest Dawn is set to premiere at the Walker Stalker Fan Fest at Petco Park during the San Diego Comic-Con on July 11. However, the producers of the flick are hoping to raise $200,000 to increase Darkest Dawn’s theatrical release. If you’re interested in helping these fine folks reach their goal, swing by the film’s official Indiegogo page.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZanxah16dk&w=640&h=360]