The Walking Dead Companion Series Not Quite a Prequel, Says Kirkman
John Squires
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It doesn’t yet have a title, but we do know that AMC has ordered two seasons of the upcoming companion series to “The Walking Dead,” which will center on a new batch of characters. And this past weekend we learned a bit more about the show, straight from the horse’s mouth. Read on!
As reported by Entertainment Weekly, creator Robert Kirkman was on hand at SXSW, and he spilled some details about the spin-off series. First off, it’s not exactly going to be a prequel to the main series – at least not for very long.
“The timeline is taking place [in] a little bit earlier time frame than the original show,” revealed Kirkman. “Rick Grimes woke up from a coma and was like, ‘Oh, man, zombies; weird!’ We’re going to possibly see that unfold a little more in the other show. But I wouldn’t call it ‘prequel’ because the entirety of the show is not going take place before [‘The Walking Dead’]. It will eventually form a path running concurrently.”
“One thing that we’re doing with the new show that we’re trying with everything is it’s not derivative,” he continued. “It’s standing on its own. You can watch it by itself and get your own experience. But if you are watching both shows, there are things like, ‘Oh, they discovered this, or they discovered that in a different way.’ There are a lot of things about ‘The Walking Dead’ world these characters have to learn or figure out to get by. And there may be some things that are discovered in the companion show that haven’t been discovered in the other show yet.”
Kirkman also confirmed that the companion series will have absolutely nothing to do with his comic books, which have of course been providing the framework for “The Walking Dead.”
“It’s not going to relate to the comics at all,” Kirkman said. “From the beginning of the show one thing we’ve heard is, ‘What’s going on over here or there?’ So the intent of the new show is to expand that world and show another corner of the United States and what’s happening there.”
The new series will be set in Los Angeles and focused on new characters and storylines. The show’s first season will consist of six one-hour episodes and premiere on AMC in late summer. The show’s second season will air in 2016.
Robert Kirkman, Gale Anne Hurd, Greg Nicotero, and David Alpert from “The Walking Dead” are executive producers of the new series, which, like the original, is being produced by AMC Studios. Dave Erickson (“Marco Polo,” “Sons of Anarchy”), who co-created and co-wrote the pilot with Kirkman, is an executive producer and showrunner.
The series will star Cliff Curtis (“Missing,” “Gang Related”), Kim Dickens (Gone Girl, “Sons of Anarchy”), Frank Dillane (Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince), and Alycia Debnam Carey (Into the Storm).
Kim Dickens as Miranda and Cliff Curtis as Sean
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