As we told you back in August, Robert Kirkman’s acclaimed comic The Walking Dead had a chance of being adapted into a television series by none other than the incredible Frank Darabont (The Mist, Shawshank Redemption, etc, etc.), but negotiations were still underway. No longer, however- Variety is now reporting that AMC has greenlit the project!
Not only did Darabont write the show but he’s on board to direct the pilot. What did we do to deserve this goodness? He will execute produce the show along with Gale Anne Hurd of Valhalla Motion Pictures and David Alpert of Circle of Confusion.
Working with people like Frank Darabont and Gale Anne Hurd is the right way in for us to deliver a project of distinction in this genre,” AMC president Charlie Collier said.
You’re damn right it is!
The Walking Dead is a series that started off pretty fantastically but then got bogged down by the fifth or sixth trade and never fully recovered. In its its beginnings however it told some of the best zombie-related stories you could find. Following a former cop as he struggles to reunite with his family and keep a small band of survivors safe, this could make for some truly compelling television. It’s still amazing to think that one day soon we’ll be able to sit down once a week and see something new from Darabont.
AMC has also approved a show called The Killing, which is based on a Danish TV series (Forbrydelsen). It’s a crime drama about a female investigator who “cares more for the dead than the living”.
AMC is sure set to get darker soon…
Realize that we are the walking dead on our boards.