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Frank Darabont circles zombies - Entertainment News, TV News, Media - Variety
AMC attacks comic series adaptation
AMC is venturing into zombie-drama territory with multi-hyphenate Frank Darabont.Cabler is close to finalizing one of the richest development deals ever with Darabont to write and direct a series adaptation of the Image Comics graphic novel series "The Walking Dead," penned by Robert Kirkman. Gale Anne Hurd of Valhalla Motion Pictures and David Alpert of Circle of Confusion are also on board to exec produce.
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. Numerous editions of the "Walking Dead" graphic novels have been published since 2003.
Joel Stillerman, AMC's senior veep of programming, production and original content, said the project appealed to the cabler because of "the quality of the storytelling" in Kirkman's work. The series will stay faithful to the tone of the original novels, he said.
"This is not about zombies popping out of closets," Stillerman said. "This is a story about survival, and the dynamics of what happens when a group is forced to survive under these circumstances. The world (in 'Walking Dead') is portrayed in a smart, sophisticated way."
Stillerman noted that the cabler's annual "Fear Fest" movie showcase around Halloween is one of AMC's most popular programming events of the year.
"We've got an audience that loves this kind of material," he said.
Darabont and Hurd pitched the project to AMC and several other outlets. There is no studio attached yet. The duo's involvement made the project a must-have for the cabler, Stillerman said.
"These are two world-class filmmakers who are also brilliant storytellers with experience in the fantasy genre," he said.
'Walking Dead' strolls to AMC
Net wins bidding war, inks biggest development deal yet
By Nellie Andreeva
Aug 11, 2009, 11:00 PM ET
"The Walking Dead"
In its biggest development deal to date, AMC has acquired the rights to Robert Kirkman's popular comic book "The Walking Dead" for a potential series.
Frank Darabont is on board to write, direct and exec produce the project, with Gale Anne Hurd of Valhalla Pictures and David Alpert of Circle of Confusion also executive producing.
"Walking Dead," a monthly black-and-white comic book, has been a hotly sought-after property since it was published in 2003 by Image Comics. Darabont originally developed the project several years ago under his deal at NBC. It landed at AMC after a healthy bidding war.
"Dead" chronicles the months and years following a zombie apocalypse where a group of survivors, led by police officer Rick Grimes, travel in search of a safe, secure home. The comic explores the challenges of life in a world overrun by zombies that take a toll on the survivors. Over time, they grow willing to do anything to survive, so the interpersonal conflicts sometimes present a greater danger to their continuing survival than the zombies who roam the country.
Genre films have traditions on AMC, whose annual Fearfest horror showcase continues to be a strong draw.
But a "Dead" series would transcend the comic book genre and mesh with AMC's other drama offerings, "Mad Men" and "Breaking Bad," said Joel Stillerman, senior vp original programming, production and digital content.
"I don't know of another series of books that has such beautiful storytelling, great human emotions and everything that really works on AMC," he said. "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."
Darabont, an Oscar nominee for writing "The Green Mile" and "The Shawshank Redemption," is repped by CAA.
Edited by Georgia, 01 September 2010 - 19:31.
