Image From ‘The Walking Dead’ TV Series

AMC, which is producing the TV adaptation of Robert Kirkman’s The Walking Dead, has released the first production still featuring the show’s zombies. Earlier this month AMC did issue a number of photos of make-up tests featuring the outstanding work of make-up master Greg Nicotero, but this is the first chance to see one of “the Walkers” in action (though she appears to be crawling in this scene).

Although movie adaptations are perceived as being sexier, it’s hard to argue that a property like The Walking Dead, which is firmly established in the comic market and breaking out in the bookstores, isn’t better served by a TV series, especially if it’s being overseen by Frank Darabont and produced by AMC (Mad Men). For one thing TV series, like comics are basically extended serial narratives. For another, a successful TV series can run for years exposing the property to millions of viewers, something that could really help an extensive series like The Walking Dead (the 12th volume is due out in July).

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Video - Frank Darabont Talks About THE WALKING DEAD TV Series

AMC’s Walking Dead series has officially begun production and information is slowly leaking onto the net. Right out of the gate we’ve got a video interview with producer Gale Anne Hurd and the writer/director bringing it to the screen, Frank Darabont. We’ve also got a few images of “the walkers” featuring some great zombie make-up (via: AITH).

Synopsis:
Police officer Rick Grimes leads a group of survivors in a world overrun by zombies.

Check out the images and watch the video interview after the break. Head to Quiet Earth to see the stills.

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AMC Orders Six Episodes Of ‘The Walking Dead’ Comic Book

AMC have today officially announced their order of a six-episode first season of The Walking Dead, adapted from Robert Kirkman’s comic book series. Frank Darabont is writing and directing, at the very least for the pilot episode, and that’s recommendation enough for me.

The series is set to premiere during AMC’s annual marathon of horror and thriller programming, which they’re now calling Fearfest. Seems like a solid launching pad… in fact, I imagine the unveiling of such a hotly anticipated series as this in the season will actually give the marathon a boost.

The press release also announced that Jon Bernthal has been cast as Officer Shane, a key player and best-friend of the protagonist, Office Rick Grimes. Not yet official, but already reported, is that Jonny Lee Miller is the current front runner for the role of Rick.

 

This casting is according to Bloody Disgusting. They describe the character as “a police officer who leads a group of zombie survivors in search of a safe place to live during the apocalypse”, which will do for now, and posted this excellent comparison between the Grimes of the comic and the real Miller. Read more

‘World War Z’ Film Project Gets Another Writer

Paramount and Brad Pitt’s Plan B have been developing the rather terrific zombie novel by Max Books called World War Z into a film, and they’ve changed horses mid-stream. Brooks recently talked to Fangoria and announced that J. Michael Straczynski, the Changeling and Babylon 5 writer who had thrown together one adaptation, had been usurped.

According to Brooks, Matthew Carnahan, brother of Joe and co-writer of State of Play and writer of The Kingdom, has been hired to give World War Z a fresh set of eyes. He’s not exactly known for this kind of thing, so it would be interesting to compare the two scrips at some point.

The author seems pleased with the change, in large part because the costs keep mounting for the studio, so surely they’ve got to do something with the movie, right?

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Lea Thompson, Ron Perlman Fight Zombies In ‘Gatekeeper’

Seems like the zombie genre just won’t die. And the trend seems to favor funny movies about the flesh-eating undead.

First came Shaun of the Dead, soon we’ll have Zombieland, and coming up is Gatekeeper, which has the distinction of featuring Hellboy and Marty McFly’s mom together for the first time!

Here’s how Variety reported the news:

Circle of Confusion’s producing Gatekeeper, a zombie thriller with Matthew O’Leary, Lea Thompson, Judge Reinhold, Ron Perlman and Jana Kramer attached.

Circle of Confusion exec Stephen Emery will produce, with production starting in September.

Isaac Meisenheimer is signed to make his feature directing debut on Gatekeeper. Meisenheimer also penned the script, in which a simple mistake leaves three friends to defend their town from a zombie outbreak.

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Trailer For French Zombie Flick THE HORDE (LA HORDE)

Please find for your zombie loving enjoyment the first official teaser for Yannick Dahan’s gangster zombie flick, La Horde.

Synopsis:
North of Paris. In order to avenge the murder of one of their own by a group of ruthless gangsters, four corrupt cops go on a rampage in a condemned building serving as the mobster’s hideout. Now trapped, the officers are about to be executed when the unimaginable occurs: hordes of bloodthirsty, cannibalistic creatures invade the building, savagely attacking everyone. Unexpected alliances are made when their lives are threatened by the unthinkable.

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Awesome Pics From ‘ZOMBIELAND’

The first stills from Ruben Fleischer’s upcoming zomedy, Zombieland (which stars Jesse Eisenberg who was in also film called Adventureland, which is sorta confusing), have dropped over at AICN and they are pretty damn awesome. Baseball bats, Emma Stone with a shotgun, Woody Harrelson as an “AK-totin’ zombie slaying badass?” It’s all here baby!

Synopsis:
In the horror comedy Zombieland focuses on two men who have found a way to survive a world overrun by zombies. Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg) is a big wuss — but when you’re afraid of being eaten by zombies, fear can keep you alive. Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson) is an AK-totin’, zombie-slayin’ badass whose single determination is to get the last Twinkie on earth. As they join forces with Wichita (Emma Stone) and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin), who have also found unique ways to survive the zombie mayhem, they will have to determine which is worse: relying on each other or succumbing to the zombies.

Fleischer promises that Zombieland will not only deliver on the comedy, but will be big on scares as well. It is currently in post-production with an October 9 release date attached. You can check out the stills after the break.

Head to Quiet Earth to see the stills.

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Zombies Coming To The Big Screen in ‘Deadworld’

“Deadworld,” a comic book series that takes place on Earth four months after the zombie apocolypse, has been optioned by Dark Horse Pictures for a new film franchise according to Variety.

The film will follow Protag, the king of the zombies in the new world order, as he cruises the planet on his Harley Davidson.  Protag bears a grudge against the remaining human survivors who made him an outcast due to his condition.

“Deadworld” will have a script by David Hayter, who will serve an executive producer along with Bill Mechanic and Benedict Carver.  Gary Reed, who co-created and wrote the comic book series, will also serve as a producer accordig to reports.

“It’s very much about the design of the Deadworld and creating cool, frightening but not necessarily gory creatures,” Hayter said. “I am a huge fan of zombie mythology.”

Mechanic said, “I’ve never done anything close to this subject, but I loved the whole world because it’s so unique.”

The first feature, which will begin production early next year, is the first of a proposed series of film that would follow an arc storyline about the zombie-infested future.

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2 Video Clips From Zombie TV Series ‘Lifeless’

Here are two short clips from the upcoming zombie series ‘Lifeless’. Anytime there are zombies you can count me in. I’m keeping an eye on this one.

‘A global pandemic has decimated the population and left the cities deserted. When a handful of survivors find themselves stranded in the aftermath, with the dead returning to life, they must rely on each other to live in a world overrun by the walking dead.’

Lifeless is an episodic drama developed to be devoured by the world via television and the web.

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George Romero To Publish Two Original Zombie Novels

According to our horror loving neighbors at Dread Central, George Romero is in the final stages of negotiations with New York publishers, Grand Central Publishing, to bring readers two novels that would take place within the filmmaker’s "Dead" universe.

Considering this deal is still in negotiations it’s probably a little premature to get too invested in the idea of original Romero novel, but I must say the notion is intriguing. The few zombie novels I have read have all been pretty great and maybe some of Romero’s recent ideas that haven’t translated so well on film would be better served in print.

Another thing I should mention is that it sounds unclear as to whether Romero is actually the author of these books or is just presenting them under his banner. We’ll have to get clarification on that. If all goes well, the first book will be released in the summer of 2010.

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