AMC Orders Pilot for Companion Series to 'The Walking Dead'

Courtesy AMC

AMC just announced a pilot order for a companion series to "The Walking Dead" and not only will Robert Kirkman, Gale Anne Hurd and David Alpert be on board as executive producers but it's also being produced by AMC Studios. In addition, the AMC blog mentions that "Dave Erickson (Marco Polo, Sons of Anarchy), who co-created and co-wrote the pilot with Kirkman, will serve as an executive producer and showrunner."

Hopefully this means the new series will stay pretty close to the original series...or do we want something different? Not much more info has been revealed other than the fact that the pilot is scheduled for production in late 2014.

From AMC President Charlie Collier, “Almost from the beginning of 'The Walking Dead' on AMC, fans have been curious about what is going on in the zombie apocalypse in other parts of the world. In fact, beyond requests for zombie cameos, it’s the question I get asked the most. Obviously, we all take our stewardship of the original franchise incredibly seriously and we, along with Robert, Gale, David and now Dave, are all proceeding with extreme care in order to ensure that we are offering fans something truly compelling, engaging and distinct. We’re thrilled to be taking this next step with these remarkable partners.”

Robert Kirkman gives a little hint at what we can expect, “There are many corners of 'The Walking Dead' universe that remain unseen in the shadows. Being given the opportunity to shine a light into those corners and see what lurks out there is an absolute thrill. I know the fans are anxious to hear what Dave and I have been cooking up for this new version of 'The Walking Dead,' and I’m happy to be one step closer to sharing it with them.”

“I’ve been fortunate to have collaborated with both Robert and AMC on past projects and I’m thrilled to join them again, along with Gale and David, to build upon The Walking Dead’s already epic narrative,” said Erickson.

So what say you, fans? Is this a good idea or can and should the show stand alone? This plan has been in the works for a while now and we're definitely curious and excited to see where the producers take us on this journey. We'll keep you posted as more details emerge.

"The Walking Dead" returns to AMC on Sunday October 12 at 9 p.m. ET.

-Larissa Mrykalo