Resurrect Dead: The Mystery of the Toynbee Tiles

Toynbee tiles

Toynbee tiles are linoleum tiles of unknown origin found embedded in the asphalt of streets in about two dozen major cities in the United States and four South American capitals. Since the 1980s, several hundred tiles have been discovered. They are generally about the size of an American license plate and contain some variation on the following inscription:

TOYNBEE IDEA
IN Kubrick's 2001
RESURRECT DEAD
ON PLANET JUPITER.

The film

Philadelphia residents Justin Duerr, Jon Foy, Colin Smith, and Steve Weinik began work on the film in 2005, seeking to find the source of the tiles and the meaning of the message.

In the course of the film, evidence is presented that a reclusive Philadelphia resident, Severino “Sevy” Verna, was responsible for the tiles. The filmmakers claim that Verna began by broadcasting a message via short wave radio about his theories before later beginning to place the tiles, at times through a hole in the floor of his car. Previous research had identified a Philadelphia carpenter, James Morasco, as the likely placer of the tiles. The filmmakers believe the name was an alias used by Verna.