Robert Kirkman Talks The Walking Dead Companion Series

Steve Barton |

Jan 16, 2015

With the return of AMC’s “The Walking Dead” officially on the horizon, creator Robert Kirkman recently sat down with Entertainment Weekly to chat about what flesh-hungry fans can expect from the companion series.

“This is going to be a show about family,” says Kirkman. “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. We want it to be a new show that can stand on its own… 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. It has to be a show that can stand on its own. I think that’s what we’ve accomplished, and we start filming in a couple of days. I’m really excited.”

To help achieve the different look and feel, the pilot will be directed by Adam Davidson, a newcomer to this world. “He hasn’t directed ‘The Walking Dead,’” says Kirkman. “So that is one way that we’re trying to bring a new directing style to the show—to bring in new visual language to this show. That’s something that Adam is working really hard to bring. He’ll largely be responsible for the different look and feel that makes the show stand on its own.”

Robert Kirkman The Walking Dead