Frank Darabont, director of The Shawshank Redemption has been given the go-ahead from AMC to adapt the astounding zombie comic The Walking Dead for television. Time to get excited, and prepare your anti-zombie shelter.
The Walking Dead is based on the comic series written by Robert Kirkman. It was previously announced that AMC was in talks to bring the undead back to life. It's now being reported in the trades that AMC has stopped talking, and is ready to bring Darabont's pilot adaptation to undead life. Plus he's going to sign on to direct.
AMC's Charlie Collier released this statement:
Working with people like Frank Darabont and Gale Anne Hurd is the right way in for us to deliver a project of distinction in this genre.
Which we translate as, "We're taking this seriously. This is not another The Prisoner."
The comic book series is centered around Rick Grimes, a small-town police officer from Cynthiana, Kentucky. Grimes is comatose when the zombie outbreak started, so we're pretty much in the dark as to how this whole thing started, in the beginning. The books follows Grimes, his family, and a few other survivors they pick up along the way, as they try to find new, and safe, home. Of course, everyone slowly, or quickly starts losing their grip on reality. [Variety]