Prior to his passing in 2017, the late legendary horror director and icon George A. Romero had been in the process of scribing a new addition to his zombie legacy. Rather than being a screenplay, however, Romero had been working on an original novel, totally separate from the universe he created. His well-loved and influential zombie franchise started with 1968's Night of the Living Dead.

With his passing, author Daniel Kraus stepped in to help finish Romero's story, The Living Dead. Kraus has previously co-authored the New York Times bestseller The Shape of Water, based on the Academy Award-winning movie) and Trollhunters, as well as his own novels The Death and Life of Zebulon Finch. Tor Books will be publishing the novel, which is a lengthy 656-page epic. Originally scheduled for publication in June, the book has now been pushed back to August 4, 2020.

RELATED: Walking Dead's Robert Kirkman Pays Tribute To George Romero

The official synopsis reads:

"It begins with one body. A pair of medical examiners find themselves battling a dead man who won't stay dead. It spreads quickly.

In a Midwestern trailer park, a Black teenage girl and a Muslim immigrant battle newly-risen friends and family. On a US aircraft carrier, living sailors hide from dead ones while a fanatic makes a new religion out of death. At a cable news station, a surviving anchor keeps broadcasting while his undead colleagues try to devour him. In DC, an autistic federal employee charts the outbreak, preserving data for a future that may never come.

Everywhere, people are targeted by both the living and the dead. We think we know how this story ends. We. Are. Wrong."

The Living Dead will apparently be set across three separate time periods and promises to combine "Romero's biting social commentary with Kraus's gift for the beautiful and grotesque." No official reason was cited for the delay.

KEEP READING: George A. Romero's Day of the Dead Gets Series Order at SYFY

(via Bloody Disgusting)