AMC is moving ahead with development on Walking Dead with a pilot order, according to THR. (It looks like the “the” has been dropped from the TV show’s title.) The proposed series is based on the comics by Robert Kirkman that take a long form look at the aftermath of a zombie apocalypse. As opposed to the relatively short adventures depicted in the likes of George A. Romero’s films, where characters might have to survive for a few days and then the story ends, The Walking Dead follows characters for months and years, looking at the long term issues confronting survivors. Of course, major characters drop dead all the time while the main cast is joined by newly found survivors. It’s a pretty fun series so I’m really looking forward to the television version, provided the pilot leads to a series pickup (and chances are good considering AMC is thus far three for three on ordering series off pilots).
Plus, the biggest weakness in the comics is Kirkman’s often over-explanatory dialogue but Frank Darabont (The Shawshank Redemption, The Mist) is writing, directing and producing the series, so I expect to see improvements in that regard. Kirkman doesn’t put enough trust in his artists to convey emotions and plot points, but I don’t think Darabont has that problem when it comes to the visuals his scripts are paired with. He certainly proved with The Mist that he can handle unrealistic horror premises in genuinely scary and believable ways.
AMC also ordered a pilot for The Killing, an adaptation of a Danish show titled Forbrydelsen. It follows three storylines stemming from the murder of a girl. The English version would take place in Seattle and is written byVeena Sud.
Here’s a plot synopsis for Forbrydelsen from IMDb:
The brutal murder of a young girl launches an extended police investigation. Detective Sarah Lund is supposed to leave for a new life in Sweden, but can’t bring herself to leave the case behind. The girl’s parents and friends struggle to cope with their loss. Troels Hartmann is campaigning to be mayor of Copenhagen, but struggles when links are revealed between city hall and the murder. Over a time span of twenty days, suspect upon suspect is sought out as violence and political pressures cast their shadows over the hunt for the killer.
It sounds like it could be extremely interesting to me. It sounds like a mix between the Five Days miniseries and maybe the Korean film Memories of Murder with a dash of the politics from State of Play.
If picked up, both shows would be targeted for 2011 debuts.
