How a Bidding War Between HBO and AMC Brought The Walking Dead TV Show to Life

As a die-hard fan of The Walking Dead, I can confidently say that Frank Darabont was the unsung hero who brought this masterpiece to life. If it wasn’t for his passion for comic books and his relentless pursuit of a faithful adaptation, I wouldn’t be sitting here today, immersed in one of the most gripping television shows ever created.

Did the concept require zombies in “The Walking Dead”, a television series based on Image Comics’ post-apocalyptic zombie comic, when Frank Darabont, the renowned writer-director of “The Shawshank Redemption” and “The Green Mile”, pitched it to NBC? This was allegedly one of the questions posed by an executive at NBC, as they perceived the black-and-white horror comic book as a weekly police procedural focusing on zombie crimes. Both HBO and AMC were among other networks that also considered adapting Robert Kirkman’s comic book into a TV series with Tony Moore and Charlie Adlard as artists.

In simpler terms, Kirkman stated during a CCXP panel (as reported by Collider), “It’s undeniable that Frank Darabont played a crucial role in bringing The Walking Dead to life. If it weren’t for Darabont strolling into House of Secrets comic store in Burbank and someone suggesting the Walking Dead comics to him, I wouldn’t be discussing this right now.

2003 marked the beginning of Image Comics publishing “The Walking Dead” comic series, which had released 70 issues by March 2010 when AMC decided to produce a six-episode first season. Prior to confirming “The Walking Dead” (TWD) as its fourth original show, following “Mad Men,” “Breaking Bad,” and “Rubicon,” AMC was engaged in a competitive negotiation with the premium television network HBO, known for popular dramas like “Oz,” “The Wire,” and “The Sopranos.

Kirkman admitted he wasn’t present at many meetings, but he was involved in making decisions and handling some confidential matters. Many phone calls were conversations between him and his manager, trying to balance AMC’s expectations with what they had agreed with Darabont, and deal with the ongoing production situation. He has a clear understanding of the early stages of that show’s production and will only share those stories in private.

The pilot episode of The Walking Dead, directed by Darabont and produced by AMC, significantly expanded the initial comic book encounter between police officer Rick Grimes and survivors Morgan and Duane Jones. Although the show later deviated from the comics in certain aspects, such as a confrontation with the Vatos and an episode where Kirkman wrote his first teleplay, it remained more faithful to the original material than most TV adaptations due to the high demand for The Walking Dead, resulting in a competitive bidding war between HBO and AMC.

Due to the intense bidding war, AMC and HBO found themselves in a back-and-forth competition, each trying to outdo the other by saying, “We’ll offer Robert this.” “No, we’ll offer Robert that.” “No, we’ll offer Robert something else.” It went on like this. Kirkman explained, “We’d say, ‘HBO gave us this,’ and AMC would respond, ‘All right.’ Then to HBO, we’d say, ‘AMC gave us that,’ and they’d agree as well.

Over time, I gained increasing access, control, and involvement in the project until I found myself in the writers’ room. I became the Executive Producer, working alongside everyone to make casting choices. I consider myself fortunate that both these places recognized my potential. Had they not, one of them might have dismissed me as a writer from Kentucky with no TV experience, opting instead for the Oscar-winning director. However, given my understanding of The Walking Dead, I was the most knowledgeable in that room, making me quite valuable.

Kirkman clarified, “I can appreciate from their point of view why some may consider creators and writers to be a bit eccentric. Yet, I also understand this because The Walking Dead was quite a hit. Innumerable times, I found myself in production or casting meetings, or in the writer’s room, advocating for ideas from the comics and predicting audience reactions. This insight was priceless, so I would argue that it is crucial to have the original authors and creators involved at every stage.

In 2010, during The Walking Dead comic issue #70, the creator expressed his optimism for the upcoming AMC adaptation in a section of the comic known as the letters page. He was particularly hopeful due to the involvement of showrunner Frank Darabont and producer Gale Anne Hurd, who had previously worked on acclaimed films like The Abyss and The Terminator.

Kirkman assured his readers that the adaptation of their beloved comics was promising. He stated that while adaptations don’t always turn out great, this one is shaping up well and remains faithful to the source material without being a panel-for-panel replica. Instead, it retains enough similarities that fans of the comic will appreciate the series, with unexpected twists still in store. Moreover, Kirkman emphasized that he didn’t want to spoil any major plot points for viewers, as knowing what’s coming would take away from the excitement and unpredictability that makes The Walking Dead what it is.

On its debut on Halloween night 2010, “The Walking Dead” pilot episode titled “Days Gone Bye,” attracted a record-breaking audience of 5.3 million viewers for any original series on AMC. When you add up the viewership from the 10 p.m., 11:30 p.m., and 1 a.m. broadcasts, the total number of viewers reached an impressive 8.1 million. This premiere episode boasted the highest delivery for any cable series premiere that year with 3.6 million viewers in the crucial demographic of adults aged 18-49. The success of “Days Gone Bye” led to an extended run of 11 seasons and a total of 177 episodes on AMC.

2024-12-26 04:39

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