Juan of the Dead Continues Filming in Cuba

David Brown

Haitian zombies have long been associated with the start of the zombie mythos as embraced by North Americans. Now we see another milestone/evolution in zombie filmmaking. Juan of the Dead will bear the distinction of being Cuba’s first zombie movie. Brought to us by Cuban director Alejandro Brugues, the film stars Alexis Diaz de Villegas and is being reportedly made on a budget of only $2.3 million. Shooting on the film began in late September in Havana and the director hopes to have a finished product in theaters by next year and at a few film festivals before that.

The film’s plot revolves around Juan, a 40 year old slacker. He notices a zombie epidemic starting when people become violent.  Juan then decides to make a quick profit by offering to slay people’s infected relatives. When problems escalate, the film turns to one of survival. This all sounds very intense but Brugues has been noted calling it a zombie comedy and a very Cuban movie. There is a nice interview on cnn.com with Brugues. Needless to say, this one looks to be very significant for Cuba and looks to be a good addition to the zombie genre. We will be continuing coverage on this movie as details emerge.