Collis interviewed dozens of Shaun of the Dead cast and crew members for the project. Including director Edgar Wright, producer Nira Park, actors Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Kate Ashfield, Bill Nighy, Lucy Davis, and Coldplay singer Chris Martin, as well as many of the extras who played zombies in the film. All help to tell the story of Shaun of the Dead, from its origins as a back-of-a-taxi idea concocted by co-writers Wright and Pegg to the movie’s current status as a globally-beloved pop culture phenomenon. The book also includes commentary from many of the movie’s well-known fans including directors Quentin Tarantino, Eli Roth, Zack Snyder, and Walking Dead executive producer Greg Nicotero.
The Shaun of the Dead team initially struggled to find financial backing for the movie as executives rejected the script’s mix of horror, romance, and sharp British wit. The film was eventually green-lit on a relatively small budget and after a grueling shoot in London, would become a bona fide box office hit and cult classic. Shaun launched the big screen careers of nearly everyone involved.
“Shaun of the Dead is one of my favorite films and I thought I knew everything there was to know about it,” says author Collis. “I couldn’t have been more wrong. YOU’VE GOT RED ON YOU is full of never-before-heard tales of behind-the-scenes struggles, battles, and near-disasters. But it’s also the story of how a bunch of mates made their dream movie about people fighting zombies in a London pub and discovered that dream was embraced by audiences all around the world. I hope people have as much of a blast reading it as I did writing it.”
1984 Publishing will release YOU’VE GOT RED ON YOU on Tuesday, October 16, in limited first edition deluxe hardcover packaging that includes red foil gilded page edges, foil cover treatment, and a black satin ribbon marker. Packaging is by HagCult (Mayra Fersner), who has previously worked on official merchandise for Vampira and the Halloween series. The tome also includes over 70 storyboards, handwritten brainstorming notes by Pegg and Wright, and candid photographs. Most were sourced directly from the cast and crew’s personal archives. YOU’VE GOT RED ON YOU was edited by Michael Gingold of Fangoria, Rue Morgue, and the Ad Nauseam book series.
The limited first edition of YOU’VE GOT RED ON YOU will debut worldwide on October 19, 2021 from 1984 Publishing. Grab it from your local bookstore, Amazon, Barnes & Noble in the US, Waterstones in the UK, and Indigo in Canada.
