TV + Movies

New Legal Action Is Coming “Any Day Now” From The Original Cast Of ‘The Return of the Living Dead’

This time, the original cast is going on the offensive.

By

Thom Mathews and James Karen are absolutely brilliant in The Return of the Living Dead

For months now, legal issues have been simmering between Living Dead Media—the makers of the upcoming Return of the Living Dead movie announced for 2025—and the original cast members of The Return of the Living Dead (1985). And now, the struggle is about to enter a new phase.

I’ve been keeping track of the disagreements between the two parties for months over on Creepy Catalog. So if you want a full explainer of everything that’s happened, go check out that article.

To catch you up in brief if you’re just now hearing about this, the current issue is that many of the original cast members from The Return of the Living Dead (1985) claim that Living Dead Media (LDM) used their images without permission on merchandise. The cast wants compensation for what they say is LDM profiting from the illegal use of their likenesses. There’s a lot more to it than that (which is why you should read the full explainer on Creepy Catalog), but that’s the gist of it.

Since I’ve been looking into the legal issues, Beverly Randolph (who played Tina in the 1985 movie) has written to me via social media with updates from her side of the story, which she has given me permission to share. The latest news from the Return of the Living Dead Originals camp is that their attorney, Larry Zerner, will be filing a complaint against Living Dead Media “any day now.” According to Randolph, the documents are being written up right now.

Randolph names the following people as taking part in the potential lawsuit against LDM: Beverly Randolph, Thom Mathews, John Philbin, Jewel Shepard, Miguel Núñez Jr., Linnea Quigley, and Alba Francesca on behalf of her husband James Karen.

Linnea Quigley in The Return of the Living Dead (1985).
Linnea Quigley has been trying to get her movie, Trash’s Revenge, into production, but legal issues have repeatedly delayed it.

What does this mean for the planned Return of the Living Dead movie from LDM, and the planned Trash’s Revenge film which is set to star Linnea Quigley? We’ll have to wait to find out. Whatever the case, the looming legal battle might be the beginning of clearing up where all the legal rights truly reside for the various aspects of The Return of the Living Dead, because right now they appear to be a mess.

Keep watching here and on Creepy Catalog for updates on the legal action once it is officially filed.

For us fans watching from the outside, let’s just cross our fingers and hope for a positive resolution so we can all enjoy the 40th anniversary of one of the greatest zombie comedies ever made.