Robert Kirkman: ‘The Walking Dead’ Spinoff All About The Family

When it’s come to AMC’s Walking Dead spinoff very little has made it’s way to the public — until now.

The Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman has finally opened up on arguably the most highly anticipated new show on the air. And according to Kirkman, it’s family first all the way.

“I will say that this is going to be a show about family,” Robert revealed to Entertainment Weekly.

“But it’s going to be a show about a different type of family that we haven’t explored in The Walking Dead thus far. So what we’re trying to do with The Walking Dead spinoff is keep the story as familiar as possible for people that love The Walking Dead, so you’ll get the kind of things that you expect from a Walking Dead story. But, at the same time, we’ll want to tell these stories in a completely different way with completely different people in a completely different setting that’s going to make for a fundamentally different show. I think the look and feel of The Walking Dead spinoff is going to be startlingly different.”

The family in question centers around Sean Cabrera, a Latino male in his early 40s trying to do right by everyone in his life. Cast in this role is Cliff Curtis, best known from his work on Body of Proof, according to Variety. Curtis’ character is also father to Sean, a whip-smart and rebellious teenager.

Kim Dickens meanwhile, has been tapped as the female lead opposite Cliff Curtis in the pilot for The Walking Dead companion series at AMC, as reported by Deadline Hollywood. She plays Nancy Tompkins, a guidance counselor and thirtysomething single mom to two kids. The casting sheet obtained by ComicBookDotCom describes Nancy as a “girl next door, but [with] an edge.”

The two kids in question include Nick Tompkins, Nancy’s screwed up teenage son, and Ashley Tompkins, Nancy’s mostly level-headed teenage daughter. Her ambition is in direct proportion to her older brother’s failures. She loves her mom but it’s time to get out of Dodge. Finally, Andrea Chapman, a fortysomething who has retreated to the outskirts of the city to recover after a horrible marriage, round out this brand new family that Kirkman describes.

Overall, the new The Walking Dead spinoff is going to be completely different from its current incarnation, something Robert is striving for. “We want it to be a new show that can stand on its own,” Kirkman stressed.

“You could watch The Walking Dead spinoff if you’ve never watched an episode of The Walking Dead and get a really great, rich, fulfilling experience out of it. I’m really excited.”