Robert Kirkman’s graphic novel series “The Walking Dead” is the subject of an extremely lucrative development deal at AMC for a potential series helmed by executive producer Gale Ann Hurd and none other than The Shawshank Redemption’s Frank Darabont.
The graphic novels revolve around a survivalist group led by police officer Rick Grimes, who seek sanctuary in a zombie-infested apocalyptic landscape. The series, according to Joel Stillerman, senior veep of programming at AMC, will carry over the “sophisticated,” realistic tone of the novels.
According to Variety, there is currently no studio attached to develop the project, but AMC is lobbying for Hurd and Darabont, who Stillerman labels “two world-class filmmakers who are also brilliant storytellers with experience in the fantasy genre.”
Frank Darabont, who has recently gathered attention for his fantastically grim The Mist and for drafting an unused (and in many ways, superior) script for Indiana Jones IV, seems bred to make a project of this sort. His stark and mysterious aesthetic could easily lend itself to a living dead tale, while his knack for crafting human, three dimensional characters in fantastical settings is unparalleled. Here’s hoping that AMC, Darabont and Hurd shape a deal and sign before the project gets left by the wayside.
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