The Walking Dead spin-off officially received the go-ahead from the AMC network this week.
AMC announced that the spin-off — or more precisely a companion TV show, since it will feature entirely different characters in a different location — is happening under showrunner Dave Erickson, who previously worked on Sons of Anarchy and the cancelled Low Winter Sun .
Robert Kirkman, who created The Walking Dead graphic novel, will also be on the spin-off team as executive producer, a position he holds on the existing TV series. Said Kirkman: “After ten years of writing the comic book series and being so close to the debut of our fourth, and in my opinion, best season of the TV series, I couldn’t be more thrilled about getting the chance to create a new corner of The Walking Dead universe.”
As alluded to above, the spin-off — which may or may not be a prequel — is expected to premiere in 2015 and will take place in a different corner of The Walking Dead world. As The Inquisitr previously reported, AMC boss Charlie Collier explained that “What we want to do is not diminish the mothership. What we want to do is find something that everyone involved feels as passionately about as being a unique vehicle and unique enterprise as compared to the original series. We’ll take our time, and we’ll do it right.”
AMC has already created a handful of Walking Dead webisodes featuring characters that don’t appear on TV.
As the Hollywood Life website points out, the zombie apocalypse landscape is virtually unlimited. “The possibilities are endless. Literally endless. What we’ve seen on The Walking Dead so far is really just a spectacle in a worldwide apocalypse. Think about it: What’s going on in New York? Or, how about other major cities like New Orleans, Chicago, Dallas, etc.? Think about the dozens of other Woodbury’s that are out there. Surely, Georgia can’t be the only place someone figured out how to contain a small town. How many refugee camps are there? Are political figures out there somewhere, desperately hiding and seeking refuge? What if there are people out there working on a cure? What if, what if, what if?!”
It would be a big plus for fans if the spin-off could air during the time when the regular Walking Dead series goes on hiatus in the summer and in mid-season. Perhaps that’s AMC’s plan, but time will tell.
The highly anticipated season 4 finale of The Walking Dead airs tonight at 9 pm Eastern on AMC.
Are you looking forward to The Walking Dead spin-off? Do you think there is a possibility that overexposure could diminish or “take the bite out of” The Walking Dead franchise?
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