When Frank Darabont brought us the first season of The Walking Dead on AMC, zombie carnage on TV forever changed. Despite his absence, the show has thrived and will soon be entering it’s fifth season of syndication (starting October 12). It looks like a lot more Walking Dead is in our future, as AMC has just ordered the pilot to a companion series that should go into production late this year.
AMC president Charlie Collier had this to say:
Almost from the beginning of The Walking Dead on AMC, fans have been curious about what is going on in the zombie apocalypse in other parts of the world. In fact, beyond requests for zombie cameos, it’s the question I get asked the most. Obviously, we all take our stewardship of the original franchise incredibly seriously and we, along with Robert, Gale, David and now Dave, are all proceeding with extreme care in order to ensure that we are offering fans something truly compelling, engaging and distinct.
While this is no guarantee that a series will be ordered, given the success of The Walking Dead, the future for a companion series is looking good. I’m certainly not opposed to other stories taking place in the same universe, but I’d hope that they would aim for something different. No one wants repeats or more of the same from a companion series, so go big or go home!