Why Was Frank Darabont Fired from 'The Walking Dead'?
Zombie lovers were shocked to hear that The Walking Dead's showrunner Frank Darabont was leaving the show immediately after appearing at Comic-Con and happily discussing the show's upcoming second season with fans and reporters. What could have prompted the firing of such a beloved creator? More after the jump.
The Hollywood Reporter is examining the situation, and it appears the cuprit is the root of all evil. According to one of its anonymous though trusted sources, "AMC had its own ideas about how to make the show more cheaply. The show shoots for eight days per episode, and the network suggested that half should be indoors. 'Four days inside and four days out? That's not Walking Dead,' says this insider. 'This is not a show that takes place around the dinner table.' That was just one of what this person describes as 'silly notes' from AMC. Couldn't the audience hear the zombies sometimes and not see them, to save on makeup? The source says Darabont fought 'a constant battle to keep the show big in scope and style.'"
THR describes Darabont as, "like many showrunners, not known for a small ego or manageable temperament." While that may be true, Darabont is also one of the most respected figures in genre. And having interviewed him several times, I understand why. Darabont, quite frankly, posesses a sincerity in everything he does that one rarely sees in an industry where people are more often than not afraid to speak their minds or create with their heart. Its this sincerity that has helped earn him the respect of folks like Stephen King and Guillermo del Toro. And it's entirely possible its this sincerity that was too much for the bean counters at the network -- who are apparently unused to having a hit TV show -- to bear. Of course it doesn't help that AMC outright owns The Walking Dead, and so prevents its creators from shopping the show around to other networks when budget negotiations turn sour.
Whatever one thinks of The Walking Dead itself, there's no doubt in my mind that its presence on TV is good for our genre. Unfortunately I've also no doubt that Darabont's presence behind the scenes is good for the show. And for a great many reasons; one of the most obvious being that the cast and crew is staffed with longtime collaborators like Greg Nicotero and Laurie Holden and friends like Robert Kirkman and Gale Anne Hurd. Time will tell how The Walking Dead fares without Darabont. And how that great experiment -- a weekly zombie TV show -- will turn out without his mad, often brilliant machinations.
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