Why Morgan Freeman is convinced zombies exist

(Credits: Far Out / YouTube Still)

Sat 14 June 2025 20:45, UK

Some things never go out of style, even in the ever-expanding landscape of cinema. Since the dawn of the art form, filmmakers and audiences alike have been fascinated by the idea of reanimation, horror, and, above all else, zombies. From pioneering silent films like J’accuse to cult classics like The Evil Dead and even comedic masterpieces like Shaun of the Dead, zombies have been a fixture of the silver screen going back over a century. During that extensive history, a fascination with zombies seems to have implanted itself in the mind of Morgan Freeman. 

Across his extensive and endlessly celebrated career in film, Morgan Freeman has explored virtually every genre, style, and character type imaginable, culminating in a reputation as an actor with unparalleled range. Nevertheless, there are certain styles that Freeman has shied away from over the years, and horror certainly falls in that category. Some actors are naturally suited to the adrenaline-fueled world of blood and guts, but Freeman’s comforting tones haven’t featured in many horrors over the years; the closest we have gotten is probably the 2003 sci-fi flick Dreamcatcher.

Tragically, this means Freeman has never starred in a zombie film, which is a crying shame for horror fans. It is easy to imagine him playing the role of a wise old man, jaded by the world but giving his all to help a band of survivors live through a zombie apoclaypse, only to be turned towards the end, leading to the classic zombie movie trope of ‘reluctantly having to cave the skull in of somebody who the audience was emotionally invested in’. If any casting agents are reading this article, please take notes.

Despite never featuring in a zombie movie, Freeman seems to foster a fascination with the idea of zombies. In fact, in one particular instalment of the long-running documentary series Through the Wormhole, Freeman spoke at length about ants, and the phenomenon of deceased ants seemingly coming back to life due to a fungus. “We may already be in the midst of a growing zombie apocalypse,” the actor’s velvety voice declared on the programme.

Following this intriguing exploration into zombie ants, Freeman revealed more about his interest in the idea of zombies while speaking to Huffpost. Reflecting on humanity’s continued intrigue into zombies and zombie movies, the actor shared, “I think, basically, it all stems from our desire for immortality – the idea that there is some way to come back from the grave.”

He added, “There is no way to say no to that.” 

Although the actor didn’t launch into any kind of global conspiracy theory that zombies are real and are being hidden from us ordinary folk, he didn’t rule out their potential for existence, either. “It just might be right out of someone’s nightmare,” he said. “But then once scientists get their teeth into something like that, they’ll go out and find out if there’s any truth in it somewhere.”

Continuing, “I go back to this whole thing of immortality, that the dead are not really dead, that they exist somewhere, maybe in our nightmares.”

So, while you might be unlikely to see Freeman battling any undead hordes on the big screen anytime soon, the actor’s interest in the potential for zombies is rooted in reality. Those ants that he spoke of in Through the Wormhole, whose reanimated bodies are driven only by fungus, might not be so different from humans after all. Stranger things have certainly happened.

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