AMC sees ‘The Walking Dead’ in Darabont’s Future

In recent years, I’ve been anything but supportive of cable TV network AMC (American Movie Classics). See, they used to be a great source for watching “old” movies of all kinds, uninterrupted and uncut. Unfortunately, and probably due in part to the needs of the current economy and market, AMC plays mostly 90’s films, mostly action-oriented and does not play everything in it’s entirety. On top of that, AMC now interrupts movies with commercial breaks. Hey, times are tough. So, I’ve become more of a regular viewer of TCM (Turner Classic Movies) and Fox Movie Channel, both of which still show old movies, uncut and uninterrupted. So, my point…

AMC first began making up for this (in my mind) with their original TV series, such as the popular series MADE MEN and BREAKING BAD. I’ve not personally watched these shows, but do plan to catch them eventually on DVD. One project I am excited about however, is something AMC is collaborating on with filmmaker Frank Darabont (SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION, THE MIST).

AMC is close to closing a deal with Darabont that will potentially land them a HBO-sized goldmine, which would have Darabont writing and directing a series adaptation of the ongoing Image Comics graphic novel THE WALKING DEAD, written by Robert Kirkman.

Project is set among a group of zombie survivors of an apocalypse who are led by a police officer, Rick Grimes, in search of a safe place to live. — Variety

I’ve felt this popular graphic novel series would make a great TV series for some time now. The story focuses on the lives of the surviving humans, struggling in the aftermath of a zombie apocalypse. Zombies still roam the Earth and present frequent problems, but the story isn’t focused on the zombies. Kirkman’s writing is great and, according to Variety, AMC’s senior VP of programming claims the series will remain faithful to the tone of the original novels.

Source: Variety