According to Variety, Frank Darabont is close to finalizing a deal with AMC to produce Robert Kirkman’s comic book “Walking Dead” as a television series. Described as “one of the richest development deals ever” it will land Darabont with both writing and directing duties on the series. Producing the series will be Gale Anne Hurd of Valhalla and Dave Alpert of Circle of Confusion.
AMC programming Veep Joel Stillerman promises the show will remain close to the comic books, claiming “This is not about zombies popping out of closets … The world (in ‘Walking Dead’) is portrayed in a smart, sophisticated way.”
Both Darabont and Hurd have long association with the horror genre. Darabont began in the genre, penning scripts for Nightmare on Elmstreet III and The Fly II, and has continued in the genre with class horror projects like The Green Mile.
Hurd is also no stranger to the genre, producing such memorable films as Aliens, Terminator, Bad Dreams, Tremors, Terminator 2 and Relic.
Certainly seems like the right team to bring “Walking Dead” to the small screen.
