"Walking Dead" Cable Series

[dltrammel]

http://www.empireonline.com/news/feed.asp?NID=26771

21 January 2010
Frank Darabont's Walking Dead Is Go!

"We reported a while ago that Frank Darabont and Gale Anne Hurd were prepping an adaptation of zombie comics series The Walking Dead for cable channel AMC. "Prepping" has now turned into "actually making", with the news that the pilot episode has officially got the go ahead.

In print form, The Walking Dead is by Robert Kirkman and Tony Moore, and has been running since 2003. It currently stretches to eleven volumes in the paperback collections, and basically involves Zombiegeddon survivor Rick Grimes and his family making their way to a possibly apocryphal Last Safe Place, and getting into agreeably visceral scrapes and adventures along the way.

AMC's Charlie Collier said that "working with people like Frank and Gale is the right way for us to deliver a project of distinction in this genre." Which is suit-speak for "the guys that made Shawshank and The Mist and Aliens and Terminator are gonna put zombies on TV and it's gonna kick ass and be awesome!" Or something similar. Shooting schedules and casting have yet to be announced, but we're already very excited..."


And from an earlier article:
http://www.empireonline.com/news/feed.asp?NID=25549

"Frank Darabont and Gale Anne Hurd are close to finalising a deal for a TV adaptation of the zombie graphic novel series The Walking Dead, according to Variety.

Robert Kirkman and Tony Moore's series for Image Comics has been running (or rather shambling and lurching, but in a good way) since 2003, and currently stretches to ten paperback collections, with the eleventh due in December.

The story focuses on police officer Rick Grimes and his family, in the wake of a zombie apocalypse. Other characters have come and gone as the series has progressed, meaning there are plenty of potential threads for episodic television. And the series' backbone, not unlike Battlestar Galactica, would presumably remain the Grimes' slow journey towards the Last Safe Place, which might not even exist.

Cable channel AMC (it stands for American Movie Classics, but their remit has shifted in recent years) are reported to be picking up the gauntlet. Their slogan is "Story Matters Here", which kind of bodes well, and their cable status means that, like HBO, they shouldn't be required to pull their punches when it comes to zombie flesh eating.

AMC honcho Joel Stillerman described Darabont (the director of The Shawshank Redemption and The Mist) and Hurd (producer of Aliens and The Terminator) as "world class filmmakers and brilliant storytellers", and described the project as "not about zombies popping out of closets, but about survival, and the dynamics of a group under these circumstances."

Darabont will be apparently be writing and directing, though presumably he won't be the only member of that team."

[HighwayStarPP]

sounds awesome! finally a good escape from reality TV

[wrxty]

Nice sounds like it will be good. I've been wanting something like this for a while now. Any idea on when it will be aired?

[xombiechow]

http://www.empireonline.com/news/feed.asp?NID=26771

21 January 2010
Frank Darabont's Walking Dead Is Go!

"We reported a while ago that Frank Darabont and Gale Anne Hurd were prepping an adaptation of zombie comics series The Walking Dead for cable channel AMC. "Prepping" has now turned into "actually making", with the news that the pilot episode has officially got the go ahead.

In print form, The Walking Dead is by Robert Kirkman and Tony Moore, and has been running since 2003. It currently stretches to eleven volumes in the paperback collections, and basically involves Zombiegeddon survivor Rick Grimes and his family making their way to a possibly apocryphal Last Safe Place, and getting into agreeably visceral scrapes and adventures along the way.

AMC's Charlie Collier said that "working with people like Frank and Gale is the right way for us to deliver a project of distinction in this genre." Which is suit-speak for "the guys that made Shawshank and The Mist and Aliens and Terminator are gonna put zombies on TV and it's gonna kick ass and be awesome!" Or something similar. Shooting schedules and casting have yet to be announced, but we're already very excited..."


And from an earlier article:
http://www.empireonline.com/news/feed.asp?NID=25549

"Frank Darabont and Gale Anne Hurd are close to finalising a deal for a TV adaptation of the zombie graphic novel series The Walking Dead, according to Variety.

Robert Kirkman and Tony Moore's series for Image Comics has been running (or rather shambling and lurching, but in a good way) since 2003, and currently stretches to ten paperback collections, with the eleventh due in December.

The story focuses on police officer Rick Grimes and his family, in the wake of a zombie apocalypse. Other characters have come and gone as the series has progressed, meaning there are plenty of potential threads for episodic television. And the series' backbone, not unlike Battlestar Galactica, would presumably remain the Grimes' slow journey towards the Last Safe Place, which might not even exist.

Cable channel AMC (it stands for American Movie Classics, but their remit has shifted in recent years) are reported to be picking up the gauntlet. Their slogan is "Story Matters Here", which kind of bodes well, and their cable status means that, like HBO, they shouldn't be required to pull their punches when it comes to zombie flesh eating.

AMC honcho Joel Stillerman described Darabont (the director of The Shawshank Redemption and The Mist) and Hurd (producer of Aliens and The Terminator) as "world class filmmakers and brilliant storytellers", and described the project as "not about zombies popping out of closets, but about survival, and the dynamics of a group under these circumstances."

Darabont will be apparently be writing and directing, though presumably he won't be the only member of that team."

The zombie flesh eating part won't be the least of their worries with this series...lol there's far more violence between the human survivors than with the zombies. This is especially true once they have interactions with the "governor" at woodbury. I am a huge fan of the series and can't wait see how they adapt it to TV. At least they're not "one cheeking it" (half a22ing it...) by trying to put it on MTV or some crap like that.

[seraosha]

Here's a spoilery link to a script review and more info...

http://coronacomingattractions.com/news ... -tv-series

[xombiechow]

Here's a spoilery link to a script review and more info...

http://coronacomingattractions.com/news ... -tv-series

That's a great article. Its very encouraging to hear that such a great director is on the project...I have high hopes.

[ninja-elbow]

News on who was chosen as "Rick":
http://www.variety.com/article/VR111801 ... =sharethis

[Bricks of the Dead]

News on who was chosen as "Rick":
http://www.variety.com/article/VR111801 ... =sharethis

Here's the guy's profile on IMDB. Not much in the way of good photos, but he kind of looks like Rick.

[jor-el]

SPOILER ALERT:

If they follow the comics, there's one scene I'm sure won't make it to cable.
Rick's wife Lori and her infant get blown away trying to escape the prison.

[Lonely Raven]

True, they will probably change a few plot points...but if the show is 1/4 as hard edged as the comics, I'm sure it will be all sorts of awesome.

I'm hoping for all sorts of awesome.

[Zdigger]

http://www.slashfilm.com/2010/04/12/casting-notes-brandon-routh-in-the-walking-dead-jon-tenney-in-green-lantern-unknowns-in-todd-phillipsjoel-silvers-mystery-comedy-project-x/



Andrew Lincoln stars as Rick Grimes

Jon Bernthal as his partner before the story’s zombie apocalypse takes place

Now there’s word that Brandon Routh is ‘a lock’ for a role in the series.

[Redeker_Plan]

This has potential.

More importantly though, this series will be a trial to determine if the zombie genre can make the transition to television. A lot of PAW shows couldn't cut it. It'll be interesting to see how it does.

[colemoge]

I cant waite!

[xombiechow]

I have my hopes up for this one...and I dont' normally get my hopes up...

[Sckitzo]

I love this comic, I really hope this pans out into something good!

[colemoge]

any updates?

[dan-bri]

Can't wait for this to be made...just hope it's gonna come over to the UK. Been reading the comic books and am waiting for 12 to come out. Any new news on it?

[ninja-elbow]

Can't wait for this to be made...just hope it's gonna come over to the UK. Been reading the comic books and am waiting for 12 to come out. Any new news on it?

News on Volume 12? No solid news yet but I will guess August at the earliest.

[Lucretius]

I heard the comic was created because its writer was so curious as to "what happened after this" when watching zombie movies... so he made Walking Dead as "a zombie PAW story that never ends". Which should be an ideal base for a zed tv series!

[dan-bri]

Can't wait for this to be made...just hope it's gonna come over to the UK. Been reading the comic books and am waiting for 12 to come out. Any new news on it?

News on Volume 12? No solid news yet but I will guess August at the earliest.

Oh...I kinda meant any news on the T.V series. I've been told by my local comic merchant that book 12 is due in june/july-ish

[colemoge]

start time/date?

[Zdigger]

They are still getting the cast together at this time, maybe a few more months of people sleeping with each other until it fleshes out

[shawn]

Can't wait for this to be made...just hope it's gonna come over to the UK. Been reading the comic books and am waiting for 12 to come out. Any new news on it?

News on Volume 12? No solid news yet but I will guess August at the earliest.

From the product details it is being released on June 15

http://www.amazon.com/Walking-Dead-12-R ... 493&sr=8-1

Shawn

[Bricks of the Dead]

They are still getting the cast together at this time, maybe a few more months of people sleeping with each other until it fleshes out

Rumor has it the show we start sometime in October, which should give everyone plenty of time to sleep with each other.