comic book zombie series has been, it was Frank Darabont who brought the show about living with the undead to life.The mastermind behind The Mist
and The Green Mile
, The Walking Dead showrunner – who also directed the pilot episode of Dead – adapted the comics into a compelling drama that drew 5.3 million viewers for the premiere on AMC and grew into six million for the finale. The Walking Dead brought zombies into a high quality class of entertainment, and when asked about why that is, producer and makeup effects master Greg Nicotero (of KNB EFX Group) said simply, “That’s because of Frank.”
Which is why it was so shocking when Darabont was replaced as showrunner on July 26 by AMC. The Hollywood Reporter writes Darabont was fired during a one-day visit by AMC execs to the Dead set. The firing was the latest in some very unpopular moves by the network of Mad Men and Breaking Bad, which has riled fans and Hollywood creators alike. There are currently a lot of rumblings within the Dead army about the future of the show.
But when ParanormalPopCulture.com spoke with Darabont and Nicotero about Season Two of The Walking Dead on July 23 at San Diego Comic-Con International, he didn’t seem to be aware of his fate. In fact, we found two guys enthusiastic about their new season who wanted to offer juicy tidbits and fun anecdotes about the show – including some info on zombie Easter Eggs that call out Jaws (Nicotero’s favorite movie), Evil Dead, Jon Hamm and Christina Hendricks (from Mad Men) and others.
Check out the videos below, along with the Season Two trailer for Dead. And try not to get too depressed that Darabont (appearing in the right side of the frame, sometimes obscured by an Arrowhead water bottle) has exited from this great show.
The Walking Dead, Season Two, premieres Oct. 16 on AMC.
Thoughts on the graveyard scenes in the trailer - and similarities to Night of the Living Dead.
On the ups and downs of using flashbacks - and what character gets one in Season Two.
On zombie makeup, Easter Eggs and celebrity zombie cameos
Why aren't there clown and ballerina zombies in The Walking Dead?