Tag Archives: Robert Kirkman

Walking Dead, Robert Kirkman, Producer Talks Season 3

AMC began production on season three of “The Walking Dead” Monday, and Executive Producer Robert Kirkman did an on-set interview with AMCtv.com to discuss his thoughts and expectations for the upcoming 16 episodes.

According to Kirkman, Season three will see several changes, some of which were teased in season two’s finale such as that the group will at last depart from Herschel’s farm after it is overrun by walkers and that they will arrive at a seemingly abandoned prison, where a numerous plot twists unfold.

When it comes to the prison, Kirkman said he is very excited for fans to see the prison set.

They’ve taken a lot of what you see in the comic book series and brought it to life in ways that I didn’t think possible,” he said. “This is going to be one of the most impressive looking things that’s ever been put together for a show.”

Season 3 will also see the addition of new characters such as the sinister Governor (David Morrissey), whose actions suggest humans may pose more of a threat than the undead.

The plan was always to evolve naturally into a place where the zombies essentially become a manageable threat,” Kirkman said. “You know the rules. You know how to deal with them. To a certain extent they become something to not really be scared of unless you mess up. Humans, however, do not follow any rules and will always do something that surprises you and are capable of doing things far worse than trying to eat you…We’re definitely going to be seeing a lot of horrible things.”

Along with the Governor, fan-favorite zombie slicer Michonne, played by Danai Gurira, will also be joining the cast.

Kirkman explained he was impressed with the sword skills she is picking up in training.

She’s going to be doing all of the hard character stuff and drama that The Walking Dead is known for, but she has tremendous physical capability and the sword training that I’ve seen is absolutely amazing,” he said. “I can’t wait to see her hack up some zombies.”

Season 3 will have 16 episodes, making it the show’s longest season yet. With the extra time, Kirkman said he looks forward to packing in as much character development and action as possible.

The actors and the crew and a lot of the producers would not be thrilled to hear me saying this, but I love doing 16 episodes a year,” he said. “I think the more the better, and I think it’s a lot of fun. We are going to get to tell bigger stories, and tell more stories, and get into the characters a lot more. So the more the merrier.”

AMC wisely had renewed “The Walking Dead” for it’s third season on October 25th, 2011 after the season 2 premiere broke cable ratings records. Actual filming for season 3 is scheduled to begin shooting in another area, Senoia, on May 31, 2012.

Walking Dead Creator Announces New Series For AMC

AMC announced Wednesday that Robert Kirkman is adapting his newest graphic novel series, Thief of Thieves for the cable television network.

The Walking Dead writer/executive producer is working with Chic Eglee (Dexter, The Shield) and David Alpert (The Walking Dead) to develop the new show.

Kirkman, who still writes monthly issues of The Walking Dead, has released two issues of Thief of Thieves, each of which sold out on its respective release date.

The third issue was released on April 11th from Skybound/Image Comics.

Though The Walking Dead continues to break viewership records with its portrayal of the zombie apocalypse (the season two finale drew 9 million total viewers, according to The Hollywood Reporter), viewers of Kirkman’s new show will notice a distinct lack of “walkers.”

Thief of Thieves, as its title suggests, is instead a heist story. The series is about Conrad Paulson, “the world’s greatest thief,” according to skybound.com.

He vows to steal only what’s already been stolen, in an effort to right the great wrongs of his life. But he may be too late for redemption.”

Kirkman said he hopes his adaptation will bring something new to television, just as The Walking Dead did.

Much like The Walking Dead brought horror to television in a unique and groundbreaking way, I feel Thief of Thieves can do the same thing for heist stories, showing the humanity of all the characters, including the criminals,” Kirkman said in an AMC release.

While the announcement has evoked much excitement from Kirkman’s fans, one question seems prevalent.

Will starting the show so early in the comic series compromise the quality or direction of the story?

Not much of the story will have been fleshed out, so characters and arcs could have to develop simultaneously. For most writers, this would seem a daunting task, but Kirkman’s track record suggests there is no need to worry.

Kirkman said he feels his work is in good hands at AMC, which adds to the success of his projects.

AMC recognizes the limitless ideas generated by the comic industry,” Kirkman said in a release. “Their dedication to bringing The Walking Dead to life as a TV show has been key to its success and I’m excited about the potential of Thief of Thieves to reach similar levels of success.”

Trailer For First Episode of Walking Dead Video Game Released

Now that season 2 of AMC’s hit show, “The Walking Dead” is over, it is a perfect time to get pumped about the new video game release based on the series. The game comes from Telltale Games and Robert Kirkman, who is the creator and writer of the “The Walking Dead,” and now they have a released a brand new trailer for the upcoming game.

This first trailer features the first of five monthly episodes of the “Walking Dead” video game that is set to be released in late April on the Xbox LIVE Marketplace for Xbox 360® for 400 Microsoft® Points, on PlayStation®Network for $4.99 and on PC and Mac as a season pass for $24.99 from the Telltale Online Store and other digital outlets.

The trailer for the game was created by animator and director Daniel M. Kanemoto. He blended together both 2D and 3D imagery that incorporates both the series and the original comic book. Telltale games had actually asked Kanemoto to create the trailer because of his “fan made” title sequence he had made for the series.

Dan Connors, the co-founder and CEO of Telltale said this about the game:

This trailer really shows off how our artists have managed to take the 2D art style of the comic books and create a 3D world allowing fans to truly interact with Robert Kirkman’s world for the very first time. We hope that fans will like what they see and be excited by the chance to join the cast of the game; we promise they’ll die horribly!

Kirkman also added this regarding the game:

Telltale has done a phenomenal job in making a game that meets the expectations of fans. Running around with a gun isn’t what ‘The Walking Dead’ is about; it’s about how people caught in an apocalypse deal with facing their own death every day, and the horrible choices they have to make to survive. Telltale’s game series has captured the spirit of the comic books perfectly.

The plot of the video game follows Lee Everett, a convicted criminal that has been given a chance for redemption in the apocalyptic world of the undead. Players will be able to experience different events, meet people and visit locations through out the world of the comic book and series. And, the actions of players and their choices will affect how the story plays out across the entire game series.

You can watch the new trailer for the video game below:

The Walking Dead Season 2 Finale Swarms the Cable Ratings!

AMC’s “The Walking Dead”, continues to garner high ratings.  First it was broken in October 2011 with the season 2 premiere of the show.  Clocking in 7.3 million viewers.  In February, the show did it again, raising the bar to 8.1 million viewers for the mid-season premiere, the highest in cable history.  Well, it was up until the season finale last Bloody Sunday.  Again it has shattered its own basic-cable ratings for a second time this season.  According to the Hollywood Reporter, the show brought in 9 million viewers.  A zombie show that draws in mindless zombies that infect and create more mindless zombies.  Go figure.

As I take out my leather journal that contains the secrets of the future; dyed the color of police telephone box blue; I would like to issue a warning to any who have not watched AMC’s “The Walking Dead”, especially the season two finale.

Spoilers: You have been warned.

A herd is formed by the appearance of a helicopter.  One moved towards it with purpose.  others followed.  Then they kept walking a straight line, not knowing who was following whom.  It was like watching so many hipsters going towards the Apple store for their new iPad 3.

Now that Shane is dead, the invisible force field that protected the farm and all that dwell on it has weakened.  I think it was powered by the undiscovered fission produced by high school drama.  Nature of course abhors a vacuum, so an zombie herd immediately appears to fill the void that Shane’s homicidal tendencies has left behind.  Could the season finale actually be about surviving a real zombie threat?  Sweet Jeebus!  This is one episode of “The Walking Dead” I did not see coming for once.

In true zombie genre fashion, everyone flips out and makes moves that are questionable to survival.  It’s as if this is everyone’s first exposure to real zombies and has put them into shock.

Rick somehow gets flanked by zombies that were originally far behind him.  Rick and Carl then run into a barn, thus getting Carl and himself boxed inside.  Rick then lets zombies into the barn.  Instead of running, casually walks to the ladder almost within arm’s reach of being killed. Carl then sets zombies on fire with kerosene, while he and Carl wait in the protective comfort of wood and hay shelter.  They set the fire on the ground, so how could it possibly spread further?

Then there’s the rest of the group, who are unable to form coherent strategies without their genius leader Rick; or the sound of someone flipping out.

Team Humans first plan: Waste ammo and gas, driving around the farm in circles and shooting the walkers.  The idea is to get the attention of the dead and lead them off the farm.  Instead, let’s everyone drive, sow chaos and do donuts in the grass.

Team Humans second plan: Attempt to evacuate fifteen minutes after the walkers are first spotted.

Hershel does his best to stay as long as possible.  He needs to have the farm.  It’s his legacy, plus it’s always good to own land.

Lori can’t seem to keep a track of her child.  So she holds up the evacuation to look for him some more.  In fact, no one keeps an eye on Carl.  It’s not as if they’re engaged in work all the time.  Why can’t anyone keep an eye on the kid?  Here’s an idea.  How about give the kid a mentor, who passes on skills that he can later use to survive?  When the kid learns all that he can, he’s released from that mentor and on to the next babysitter.  If you want off babysitting duty, make the kid demonstrate a new skill with competence.  Sorted!

Team Humans third plan:  Drive away and hope for the best.  There is no set meeting place or technology to help them communicate.  The plague you see has somehow taken out all walkie-talkies and CB radios.

Team Zombies plan:  Find live flesh and eat them.  It’s worked out rather well.  I hope they win.

Oh, and some supporting cast get eaten.  Really, let’s stop the RV and park right outside a burning barn surrounded by zombies.  Oh mister red shirt.  I hardly knew your name.

Once the immediate threat are over, it’s time to sink back into drama.  To save time, let’s just list them off.

Lori is mad at Rick for killing Shane in self defence.

– Yet Lori was also the one to tell Rick that Shane was a threat.

– She also went out of her way to explain to Shane that she is thankful for all the things he’s done to protect her and Carl thus far.

– Lori also goes out of her way to tell Shane that she doesn’t know who the father is of the unborn child within her, again giving Shane false hope.

Carol wants to be feel safe.  To do this, she needles Rick with her nagging, while attempting to get Daryl to turn on Rick.  You know, because he’s the leader they deserve, not the one that they need.  In the awesome Batman sort of way.

Carl begins to cry knowing that his dad has killed Shane, even though he’s responsible for indirectly killing Dale.  Stupid kid.

Rick lays out how their new situation will work, which is:

1. Everyone shuts up.

2. Everyone does as he says.

Everyone appears upset at this outburst and are shocked, as if they were oblivious to their own idiocy which causes it.  It’s almost as if you can hear the gears of mutiny turning.

Instantly the force field is back up and no more real zombie threats are to be had.

While other plots may have appeared within the season finale; such as the television series first introduction to the sword-wielding heroine, Michonne, played by Danai Gurira.  The best part of the finale is the finale shot.  A backdrop of the prison, which in the gloom of the pale moon light, looks like Castle Hogwarts.  If we’re lucky, maybe Snape will replace Shane.

Robert Kirkman Discusses Shocking Death on The Walking Dead

 

:::Warning Spoilers Ahead For the Latest Episode:::

Most fans of “The Walking Dead” are no stranger to death in the series. But even with that in mind, sometime a death is still just shocking and unbelievable. If you have read the comic books that this show is based on then you know that the death in last night’s episode occurred wayyy earlier than expected. It was an unfortunate night for everyone who watched.

I can safely say I was not prepared for the death of the fan-favorite character Dale. Dale is played by Jeffery DeMunn and he made his final appearance during the last episode. And yes, his exit was just as gruesome as you would expect from “The Walking Dead.” In case you missed it and need to know, Dale was injured by a roaming zombie and then mercifully euthanized with a bullet to the head by Daryl, played by Norman Reedus.

Robert Kirkman, who is the executive producer of the AMC hit series took time to discuss the decision to kill the character of Dale.

“Dale’s death comes at a time where he’s very much needed, [Rick and the gang] are trying to make this decision on what to do with Randall. The farm is becoming increasingly dangerous. There is still tension between Rick and Shane, despite the fact that it appears that they’ve put much of their differences behind them for now. They need that moral compass [in Dale], and it’s been taken away.”

Kirkman has also promised fans that Dale’s death will not go in vain. It will have some major repercussions on the rest of the cast and the season. You can bet that among those it will affect the most will be Carl as he was partially responsible for the death of Dale. (Earlier in the episode, Carl had gone into the forest alone and taunted a *seemingly* immobile zombie, which you guessed, would be the one to injure Dale.)

“It’s interesting to see Carl doing kid stuff: going out on his own, trying to prove he’s strong enough to kill a zombie, proving that he’s deserving of carrying a gun,” Kirkman said. “He instigated this whole situation. We’re going to deal with his emotions and what comes from him causing Dale’s death to a certain extent. That’s definitely one of the big repercussions where Dale’s death affects these characters.”

Fans of the comic books will note that Dale’s death is a deviation from the original comic book text. In the comics, Dale goes on to survive several SEVERAL issues before finally being bitten by a zombie.

Kirkman explained the changed by saying,

“One of the things we wanted to do is show how dangerous these zombies actually are. We were sitting around the writers’ room early on in the planning of season two, and we thought, you know, there aren’t a lot of zombies actually succeeding in what they’re trying to do. They eat people here and there, but we’ve never really had a zombie actually take down one of our main characters — at least not for a while, not since the first season. We wanted to remind people how dangerous these creatures are. It also threw a wrench in everyone’s plans to take Dale off the table, so those two ideas merged into one until we eventually came to offing this character.”

One of the biggest loses from the death is not the character it self, but the actor. DeMunn has long been one of the favorite actors on the show. Kirkman, however, has said that they did not treat his departure lightly.

“It’s a tremendous loss,” he admitted. “It’s difficult. It’s difficult for the cast, because they’ve become pretty much a family hanging out in rural Georgia. They keep each other company. It’s definitely a big deal [losing Jeffrey]; it sucks for everybody. Jeffrey in particular brought a serious sense of gravitas to the role and definitely legitimized this show by gracing us with his presence. We were lucky to get an actor of his caliber. He added a lot to the show, and his presence is definitely going to be missed.”

But Kirkman defended the choice with one last line.

“this is ‘The Walking Dead.’ It would be inaccurate to portray this show as anything other than completely dangerous, and in order to do that, you have to lose characters from time to time.”

So while the death of this character, as he put it, sucks, there is at least a good reason behind it. No one wanted to see Dale killed this early on, but sometimes you have to remember, zombies are not playthings…. they will kill those you love. When Z-day comes, just remember that. (Oh and also don’t taunt a zombie even if you think it is immobile)

The Walking Dead Governor: David Morrissey

With AMC’s hit television show “The Walking Dead”, the development for season three is well underway. As the mid-season premiere for season two broke cable records as most watched show, it’d be a shame not to capitalize on the momentum. I’m more surprised a season four hasn’t been guaranteed yet; then I remember how “Heroes” turned to dung in the second season before my very eyes. I could have written a better storyline on a napkin while drunk.

So for fans of the comic who’ve been reading ahead in the series, we already have a general idea of what to expect; we’re just really hoping that certain storylines are followed over others. So it turns out we’re not going to be seeing the Governor until season three. That’s okay, they still have to find the prison first. What is awesome though for those hardcore into geek lore is who will play the Governor.

The part will be played by British actor, David Morrissey according to Deadline. Hmmm… British actor you say? If he’s worth his salt in anything, he’d have been in some kind of awesome British television show, right? His IMDB photo didn’t spark any recognition in my old brain matter, but it might be because he wasn’t wearing the costume. In the right set of clothes, Morrissey turns into the Next Doctor!

Hit with a Cyberman InfoStamp; patent pending; Jackson Lake in his fugue state is imprinted with all the factual events and collected observations of the Cyberman enemy known as the Doctor, simply the Doctor. The one, the only and the best!

That right there is all I need to know to be happy with the selection for the Governor. Mostly because I’m a biased because he was in the Doctor Who Christmas Special back in 2008.

Originally the speculation on who would be the Governor was John Hawkes, based on the words of Tom Savini; who really wanted the role. Sorry Sex Machine. You can read about it here in the article The Rise of the Walking Dead Governor.

As Hawkes has the acting chops and Savini had the looks for the part; when compared to the comic book version of the Governor; I’m surprised a third person wasn’t considered who could satisfy both acting and looks. Maybe even some slicing actions for cutting off the hands of the enemy? That’s right, I mean Danny Trejo, the Machete! Oh well.

Savini didn't make the cut.

The Governor who appears in The Walking Dead graphic novel series, written and created by Robert Kirkman, is a twisted man who rules over a fortified township in a zombie plagued world. Not only is the character created as a returning antagonist, rapist and sadist, but has his own novel also penned by Kirkman and Jay Bonansinga as well in, “The Walking Dead: The Rise of the Governor.” The Governor will meet up with Rick Grimes and the rest of the Walking Dead in season three. If the television show remains true to the comic books, it won’t be pretty.

Either way, I’m happy to see David Morrissey get the part. Even if he has to play the despicable Gov.  Allons-y!

The Walking Dead Continues to Kill in the Ratings

After the huge success of the mid-season premiere for “The Walking Dead”, the show continues to garner high ratings. The mid-season premiere was the most watched show in the history of cable television with 11 million viewers combined; from both time slots. The next episode, number 9 of season 2, didn’t yield as many viewers, but still nothing to laugh at with 8.5 million viewers combined. Again, this doesn’t even begin to count the ones that found online alternatives to watching the show.

Already “The Walking Dead” has been signed for a third season. With things moving as slowly as they are, I’m sure the cast will be almost off the farm by then. Gah!

The episode begins with a little flashback of Lori learning her lesson for being an idiot. Ignoring the conventional wisdom of the buddy system, she left last episode to find Rick who’s in town finding Hershel; who in turn is finding solace at the bottom of a bottle. Lori decides that the best way to navigate her way to town is to drive fast while looking down at a road map. Was she that confident in a world where there are no other drivers around? She’s surprised by a slow walking zombie in the middle of the road. Instead of driving through it, she brakes and swerves, totalling the car.

To outline how stupid she really was and to send a message to the rest of the world, I was hoping that they’d show her driving again, but this time looking down to text message.

So the scene begins with what appears to be night time and a zombie scratching at the car windshield, trying to get at an unconscious Lori. Coming too, Lori gives a little scream realizing how much danger she’s in. The scream resonated in me and made me go, “Good. I hope you die.”

The television adaptation has so far been a source of irritation for me. It depicts the cast from comics which I complete enjoy, but have churned out something that I can’t stand but won’t look away either. Is it good writing or am I just that faithful to the source material? The characters portrayed on television want to do so much to live, yet they’re not willing to think anything through.

Robert Kirkman, creator and writer of The Walking Dead comic, and executive producer for the AMC show went on to comment on the episode. This was in an interview with Entertainment Weekly who lead off with, “No one could say that this episode was not action-packed.”

Kirkman replied saying, “That’s true. I mean, look, there’s all that tension in the bar with those people outside and we barely even see them. It was a really cool move on [the part of showrunner] Glen Mazzera working with David Leslie Johnson on this script. They’re this strange outside threat and I think it makes them more scary because everything is played inside and it’s all done off the looks of Scott Wilson and Steven Yeun and Andrew Lincoln. I think the performances in that scene are tremendous.”

The performance of the scene may have been tremendous, but that’s only thanks to the actors doing their best to go along with the faulty writing.

We then go back to Rick, Glenn and Hershel. Having killed two interlopers who had clearly escalated their threat potential. Rick in a sweeping badass movie kill both of them where they stood. That was smart thinking that was completely on instinct. Somewhere a writer must have said, “We can’t have that! Quick! Make him an idiot again!”

With the new threats around them, Hershel somehow mans up and maybe realizes the people he’s taken in are complete idiots. Why are they idiots?

When more outsiders who come looking for their recently shot friends walk towards the bar, Glenn’s first reaction is to push his back against the door as it opens. He had all the time in the world to get in front of it. Was he trying to simulate a locked door? Doesn’t matter because they now know that someone is in there. I think Rick gives Glenn the face of, “You just got in my way. They were going to walk in and I would have had the element of surprise and clearly killed them.” Yes, this is what I’ve interpreted and read into. Bite me.

They all had guns, element of surprise and could have avoided any of them getting in any real danger.

“Yo, someone in there? If someone’s in there, we want no trouble. We’re just looking for our friends.”

Rick who’s just shot Glenn the, “You screwed this up for us look.” Lapses back into his moral and narrative ways; the annoying way he speaks into the radio; first beginning with, “They drew on us.” Then goes on to explain how he’s killed their friends and that they should be reasonable; unlike their dead friends; and go their separate ways. I’m sure Rick would have understood if it was the other way around, right? “You killed Shane? Awwww. Bye.”

The episode, entitled ‘Triggerfinger’ then turns into a gun fight. Let’s speed this up. Outsiders die or abandon their friend who’s impaled himself on a fence. Rick and the gang save him and bring him back to the farm. The show then slows down and turns into something else entirely. I believe it can be boiled down to Office Politics. Why didn’t they shoot this portion of the show like a fake documentary the way they do with The Office.

Shane doesn’t like Rick making all these decisions that he believes are wrong. If he was in charge, he’d do things differently and better. Less taxes and all that rot. Andrea and some others back Shane. Meanwhile Shane secretly confesses his stalker like love for Lori and how she belongs to him.

The show now is setting up into camps. Team Rick and Team Shane. Screw that noise. If they’re so interested in fighting for the zombie matrix of leadership, then I’m voting Team Zombie. Where the Hades is the horde?