If there is one thing that the cable television station AMC is known for amongst my group of friends, it would be the month-long span that they played Home Alone 3 (you know, the sequel sans Macaulay Culkin), deeming it an instant American Movie Classic. If there is something that the station is becoming known for though, it is the quality original programming that they have been pumping out recently. From the Emmy Award-winning Western miniseries Broken Trail to the critically adored Mad Men to the award winning Breaking Bad, whispers around the internet are saying that AMC is going to surpass every other station out there in terms of original programs.
While I wouldn’t go that far quite yet, AMC does have a new show in their lineup that promises to have plenty of potential, especially when word comes from The Hollywood Reporter that Frank Darabont (The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, The Mist) is on board to write, direct and executive produce the television show. Adapted from Robert Kirkman’s comic book The Walking Dead, the show will follow a group of survivors traveling in search of a safe place to live during the years following a zombie apocalypse.
Hardly an original concept, but as Joel Stillerman, senior vp of original programming described it: “I don’t know of another series of books that has such beautiful storytelling, great human emotions and everything that really works on AMC. It allows us to stay where we want to stay: in the world of smart, sophisticated storytelling and apply that to a show that we think the audience would love.”
My question: why hasn’t somebody made a zombie television show before this? With the commercial success of zombie movies in the past decade (28 Days Later, Dawn of the Dead, Resident Evil, Shaun of the Dead), this seems overdue, although I suppose the idea of developing a horror concept into a television show may be what frightens off potential developers. Even if the movie market is over-saturated with zombies, with the quality of talent behind this and Darabont’s ability to create likable (and despicable) characters and evoke all ranges of emotions, this should be an exciting television series to look forward to. There is so much crap out there in the television world that I almost quit watching TV altogether – but with folks like HBO and Showtime and AMC out there, I’m slowly beginning to have a change of heart.
Zombie apocalypse television show? I’ll be there.
Movie laboratories are one of my favorite things ever. Metropolis,...
I expect Leeny to be making an appearance through these parts any moment CRYING with JOY.
This comic is tailor made for a TV show. Long drawn out story arcs and a never ending wave of characters. You think Lost kills off people, wait till you see what The Walking Dead does. This could be an impressive emotional roller coaster of a show.
“My question: why hasn’t somebody made a zombie television show before this?”
I was thinking this exact question before you said it outright. Jesus. For that matter has there been an actual horror serial done that was not winking at its audience and being geeky, but genuinely going for scares?
This is a great idea I am on board with.
shit, its a comic?
I’m done with this.
@Rot. There have been plenty of Zombie TV shows. Friends, EveryoneLovesRaymond, and Full House to name but a few.
^^^^^ zing!.
but also Kevin Williams did a pilot for a zombie tv show but I don’t think it ever aired.
The comic starts off no different than most zombie movies, and is hardly original but as the writer mentioned in either an interview or perhaps an introduction, he’s more interested not in the immediate action but what happens next. Basically looking at characters over a long period of time as they try to survive a zombie apocalypse. It’s a very character driven story and would fit great as a tv show.
I’m really curious if they’ll make the show b/w like the comic. Apparently Darabont made a b/w version of The Mist so I wouldn’t be surprised if he wanted to make this b/w too. But I doubt AMC would want that.
Doing it b/w could raise the possibility of keeping the gore though. Like they did in Kill Bill. Doing all the violence and gore the comic has in color would probably freak out a lot of people.
I’m hoping they make it b/w.
Mad Men is AMC and whether its because of the station or the show’s own discretion, the sex and racier stuff is dramatically toned down, so maybe with this too AMC would curb the gore.