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Frank Darabont writing and directing 'The Walking Dead' series for AMC

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G

gdt

Member
beelzebozo said:
i actually think stuart townsend, for all his flakiness, is a pretty good choice.
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He could be, but I'd rather he not bring any of his bullshit.


Have you read the source material, btw?
 
B

beelzebozo

Jealous Bastard
i've read the first three books, but not the whole run. so i guess take my opinion with a grain of salt. i just think he's a talented (if difficult) actor who has the right look, can be charming and "aw shucks" even though he's clearly quite capable, and so on. he probably won't be involved, so i'm not really investing too much in my own opinion. just been waiting to see him in something else since the NIGHT STALKER reboot got canned after one season.
 
Brian Fellows

Brian Fellows

Pete Carroll Owns Me
Stuart Townsend sucks ass. He's not a good choice for anything ever.

And Bernthal was in the first two episodes of the Pacific. He played Manny Rodriguez. Basilone's buddy that became a runner for Chesty.
 
G

gdt

Member
Brian Fellows said:
Stuart Townsend sucks ass. He's not a good choice for anything ever.

And Bernthal was in the first two episodes of the Pacific. He played Manny Rodriguez. Basilone's buddy that became a runner for Chesty.
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Oh yeah!
 
G

gdt

Member
aristotle said:
I'm really looking for to this. Has there ever been a time frame on when this will see the light of day?
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If this gets put on the super fast track, January could work (Breaking Bad is in the spring, Mad Men in the late summer/early fall). I'd say probably after Breaking Bad S4 airs, though.

And act of god would put it for late this year.
 
G

gdt

Member
Kirkman: I'm not kidding myself. I'm sure they're not losing any sleep over this. I haven't really heard from anyone about it one way or another. I've been pretty busy with that Walking Dead TV show. I was kind of hoping to call down the wrath of [Marvel Executive Editor] Tom Brevoort because he's been so trash-talky lately with DC but I guess I've got a ways to go before I'm fighting in the heavy weight class. I'll call down the bearded thunder one of these days. This business is so much fun, I can't help but poke a little fun from time to time. I think it's a good thing to not be so serious about all this stuff.
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Quote from an unrelated interview. Guess Kirkman is super involved :D .

(Must be why Invincible is fucking delayed :/)
 
B

Blader

Member
Prince of Space said:
It reads like someone who's never actually heard people have a conversation.
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Seriously. Reading something from Invincible or the Walking Dead always reminds me of Futurama:

You can't just have your characters announce how they feel. That makes me feel angry!
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way more

way more

Member
Dan said:
Joke post?

I dig The Walking Dead, but my god, the dialogue is usually pretty awful.
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I'm so glad to hear this. I thought I was on Crazy Pills based on the amount of universal praise this series gets. The dialog is Syfy level rank and the characters never develop beyond a name card of their familial association. "Father of two," "mother of two," "one of the two kids," " the other kid," that's about all we get to know about them.
 
G

gdt

Member
Bloody Disgusting is reporting that Johnny Lee Miller is likely playing the lead, Rick Grimes.

eli.jpg


jonny050202_428x450.jpg





And...

http://www.fangoria.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=384:knb-efx-joins-the-walking-dead&catid=1:latest-news&Itemid=167

Last week, it was announced that Jon Bernthal has been cast in THE WALKING DEAD. Today, news broke that Frank Darabont’s zombie series has an FX shop: KNB EFX Group.

Greg Nicotero told Shock Till You Drop that KNB (which he co-operates with Howard Berger) will be doing the ghoul duties on the AMC show based on Robert Kirkman’s comic. KNB has an impressive résumé of previous undead flicks, including George A. Romero’s LAND… and DIARY OF THE DEAD. They also worked on Darabont’s last film, the 2007 adaptation of Stephen King’s THE MIST.
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W

wenis

Registered for GAF on September 11, 2001.
Awesome that they are going with KNB. Nicotero definitely knows what he's doing when it comes to the undead and their stuff always looks top notch no matter the budget.
 
G

gdt

Member
He strikes me as a little on the young side, but people seem happy.

I don't really know any of his work though.

Peter Krause would've been perfect :/.

Edit: And his forehead is gigantic.
 
F

Funky Papa

FUNK-Y-PPA-4
gdt5016 said:
He strikes me as a little on the young side, but people seem happy.

I don't really know any of his work though.

Peter Krause would've been perfect :/.

Edit: And his forehead is gigantic.
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He's 37. He was in fucking Hackers, FFS.

Edit: I just read that he is a Chelsea supporter. Fuck him with a tyre iron.

2nd edit: Yet he banged and married Angeling Jolie during her prime. So confused!
 
G

gdt

Member
Funky Papa said:
He's 37. He was in fucking hackers, FFS.

Edit: I just read that he is a Chelsea supporter. Fuck him with a tire iron.
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Really? I would've thought he's in his late 20's at the most.
 
C

Cornballer

Member
THR Live Feed said:
AMC zombie project 'Walking Dead' gets series order

AMC has picked up zombie apocalypse drama "The Walking Dead" for six episodes.

"Dead" is based on Robert Kirkman's graphic novels and the project will be written and directed by Frank Darabont ("Shawshank Redemption"). The series is will premiere in October 2010 on AMC.

"AMC strives to make original shows that play like movies and 'The Walking Dead' is a perfect complement to the network's celebrated movie franchise, Fearfest, which has always been an important destination for our audience," said AMC president Charlie Collier. "With its depth of story and the remarkable talent attached, The Walking Dead gives us an opportunity to raise the bar significantly within this popular genre, and continue our commitment to being the home of premium programming on basic cable."
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Link.
 
S

SpeedingUptoStop

will totally Facebook friend you! *giggle* *LOL*
6 eps for the season, 6 eps to start the season, or 6 eps for the entire series?

6 ep miniseries degrades the hype considerably IMO.
 
C

Cornballer

Member
Variety said:
AMC orders 'Walking Dead' to series
Frank Darabont directed drama to bow in October

By CYNTHIA LITTLETON

AMC has given a series greenlight to "The Walking Dead," the Frank Darabont-helmed adaptation of the Image Comics series by Robert Kirkman.

AMC has ordered a total of six episodes of the series that revolves around a group of survivors of a zombie apocalypse. Darabont penned and directed the pilot and will exec produce with Kirkman, Gale Anne Hurd of Valhalla Motion Pictures and David Alpert of Circle of Confusion, which will be funded entirely inhouse by AMC parent Rainbow Media. Charles Eglee, a seasoned TV drama showrunner, has also boarded the project as an exec producer.

"Dead" is targeted to preem in October, dovetailing with Halloween and AMC's annual "Fearfest" two-week marathon of horror and thriller pics.

Jon Bernthal ("The Pacific") has been cast in a lead role. The series revolves around police officer Rick Grimes, who leads a group of human survivors on a search for a safe home in a world overrun by zombies. AMC greenlighted production of a "Walking Dead" pilot back in January but ultimately decided to go straight to series after hearing Darabont's vision for a six-episode arc, and because of the desire to tie in with "Fearfest."

"He's taken the baseline road map of the underlying material and just blew it out to the next level," said Joel Stillerman, AMC's senior veep of programming, production and digital content. "There's stuff in there that will make the people who love the comics very happy and some surprises in there as well."

AMC prexy and g.m. Charlie Collier noted that "Dead" marks AMC's first foray into full ownership of one of its series. "With Frank and Gale and their entire team invested in this project, we also wanted to be fully invested in this project," he said.

Stillerman added that the property is likely to have "huge international value."
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Link.
 
D

Deleted member 22576

Unconfirmed Member
Yeah, wasn't season 1 of Breaking Bad super short too?
 
C

Cornballer

Member
- One more version of the article from Comingsoon.net
"The Walking Dead" begins production in June in Atlanta with six, one-hour episodes for season one. The series is set to premiere in October 2010 during AMC's Fearfest, the network's annual blockbuster marathon of thriller and horror films. Fearfest (formerly known as MonsterFest) is celebrating its 14th year by airing 14 consecutive days of themed programming with more than 50 films. AMC announced development of "The Walking Dead" in August 2009 and announced the pilot in January of this year.
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Reading the tea leaves, it seems like they're going to give it 6 episodes in S1 to see how it works out, then pick it up if the ratings do well?
Jtwo said:
Yeah, wasn't season 1 of Breaking Bad super short too?
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That was due to the writer's strike.
 
W

wenis

Registered for GAF on September 11, 2001.
Jtwo said:
Yeah, wasn't season 1 of Breaking Bad super short too?
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Yeah, 7 episodes. This sounds good though. A 6 episode run so there isn't much to risk, but just enough to really get people excited and maybe if they do come back for S2 a bump up to a 12 episode run possibly?
 
C

Cornballer

Member
NY Times said:
‘The Walking Dead’ Rises on AMC
By DAVE ITZKOFF

With a schedule that includes “Mad Men” and “Breaking Bad,” the AMC channel has often been credited for its brains, which should make the newest additions to its original programming lineup very happy.

On Monday, AMC said that it will order a new show called “The Walking Dead,” adapted from the comic book written by Robert Kirkman and published by Image Comics, about the dwindling number of human survivors in a world overrun by zombies.

The AMC series, which will run six episodes and have its debut in October, will be written and directed by Frank Darabont (“The Shawshank Redemption,” “The Green Mile”), and its executive producers include Gale Ann Hurd (“The Terminator,” “Aliens,” “The Incredible Hulk”).

In a phone interview, Ms. Hurd — who has been offered her share of material about undead cannibals — said that “The Walking Dead” was “the preeminent graphic novel series about zombies.” She added: “I think that it’s the standout. It’s stood the test of time, and it’s highly respected critically as well.”

The television series, she said, would not only fit in with AMC’s other programs but take its cues from them as well. “We’re taking our inspiration especially from ‘Breaking Bad,’ in terms of character stories in a violent world,” Ms. Hurd said — character stories that happen to feature the dead as well as the living. “Let’s face it,” she said, “it is a world in which the zombies outnumber the humans, so I think it’s going to be difficult not to.”

The “Walking Dead” series, she said, will use Mr. Kirkman’s comics as source material but will not necessarily hew to them panel-for-panel.

“It’s important to embrace what makes ‘The Walking Dead’ so successful, but this is a different medium,” Ms. Hurd said. “Robert would be the first one to say that we need to embrace what this medium offers. We can take advantage of the fact that you’re not limited to panels and little dialogue bubbles.”

Shooting for “The Walking Dead” is to being in June in Atlanta, where the comics also take place, and which has been home to other zombie movies recently. (“They’ve been torn up well before with ‘Zombieland’ and ‘The Crazies,’” Ms. Hurd said, “so I think they may even be inured to us at this point.”)

Jon Bernthal, who appears in the HBO series “The Pacific,” has been cast as the character Shane. Ms. Hurd said casting was still in progress for a male lead role, Rick, as well as a female lead, Lori.

Prospective actors will run the risk of becoming zombie fodder, but on the upside, they’ll get to be on the same network as “Mad Men.” Compared to that series, Ms. Hurd said, “At least with zombies, you know what they’re after.”
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Link.
 
C

Costanza

Banned
The television series, she said, would not only fit in with AMC’s other programs but take its cues from them as well. “We’re taking our inspiration especially from ‘Breaking Bad,’ in terms of character stories in a violent world,” Ms. Hurd said — character stories that happen to feature the dead as well as the living. “Let’s face it,” she said, “it is a world in which the zombies outnumber the humans, so I think it’s going to be difficult not to.”
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fuck. yes.

I'm so fucking excited right now omg.
 
W

WyndhamPrice

Member
Between A Game of Thrones and this being picked up we're in for some good cable TV in the next year.

I think I'm okay with just 6 episodes. It seems that it's Darabont's idea and if he's dedicated to making the first volume or whatever work in that amount of time I'm all for it.
 
G

gdt

Member
OH

MY

FUCKING

CHRIST


FUUUUUCKKK YES!


6 episodes to start a season is a little low, but that's fine.

No one is mentioning that AMC owns the show, fully, so it would be in their own best interest to renew this mofo.


TASTE THE HAPPY, ZOMBIE. TASTE THE HAPPY!
 
W

wenis

Registered for GAF on September 11, 2001.
SpeedingUptoStop said:
I don't see how this could fail, it's gotta have a 2nd season.
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Lack of marketing, the general audience not really buying the idea of a zombie series, maybe the acting will turn out not so good...You can't really call it a success just based on the source material because that's already written with a core audience in mind.

Making a TV show accessible (Especially something as gory as a zombie one) is a lot different than making a comic for an audience you already have a feel for.
 
C

Costanza

Banned
wenis said:
Lack of marketing, the general audience not really buying the idea of a zombie series, maybe the acting will turn out not so good...You can't really call it a success just based on the source material because that's already written with a core audience in mind.

Making a TV show accessible (Especially something as gory as a zombie one) is a lot different than making a comic for an audience you already have a feel for.
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We're talking about fucking AMC here. There's no way they're fucking this up.

Greatest show of all time. Calling it now.
 
G

gdt

Member
wenis said:
Lack of marketing, the general audience not really buying the idea of a zombie series, maybe the acting will turn out not so good...You can't really call it a success just based on the source material because that's already written with a core audience in mind.

Making a TV show accessible (Especially something as gory as a zombie one) is a lot different than making a comic for an audience you already have a feel for.
Click to expand...

It'll do fine.

It's on AMC, which certainly isn't expecting major numbers, and airing right around Halloween, which'll generate buzz.

Again, AMC fully owns the show, so renewal is ALOT easier than if they had to hash it out with Lionsgate (Mad Men) or Sony (Breaking Bad).
 
G

gdt

Member
Seems like it'll follow the general outline of the first six issues (the first paperback volume).

Ending the season there is fucking perfect.
 
W

wenis

Registered for GAF on September 11, 2001.
I'm sure it'll be a great show and do good numbers during the fright fest week (because that's about the only time I'll watch AMC daily), but I will stay cautiously optimistic just because I'm wondering what kind of liberties they'll have to take with the material and how fast they are going to tell the story. Because obviously Kirkman ain't anywhere near done so how fast this show is going to movie thematically and with the characters is going to be key. Go to fast and you lost all the emotional toll that a lot of deaths leave, but move it too slow and then well...it's fucking boring.
 
G

gdt

Member
I see what you're saying, but I'm very optimistic here. The crew is fucking perfect, it's on the perfect network (which, again, fully owns the show), and the original creator/owner is very involved.

It would have to do really, really bad not to get a further season(s).
 
C

Costanza

Banned
gdt5016 said:
I see what you're saying, but I'm very optimistic here. The crew is fucking perfect, it's on the perfect network (which, again, fully owns the show), and the original creator/owner is very involved.

It would have to do really, really bad not to get a further season(s).
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.
 
B

BlueTsunami

there is joy in sucking dick
Someone else need to take this concept but based on a Nuclear Holocaust, or maybe another biological one like The Stand (maybe a non preachy take on the rapture). Either way, I hope this series re invigorates interest in the whole Post Apocalyptic television genre.
 
S

Seth C

Member
if anyone wants to make a run down here I'll drive us up to Kirkman's place and you can all just ask him for some good spoilers?
 
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