AMC's Walking Dead Spin-Off Premise Revealed?

[PKerr]

"AMC has promised that its in-the-works Walking Dead spin-off will shed light on a new, previously unseen corner of the zombie apocalypse — perhaps one where the living outnumber the undead. PHOTOS | Walking Dead: 10 Characters From the Comic We Want to Meet
There’s increasing buzz that the offshoot will be a prequel of sorts, one that would chronicle the early days of the epidemic and the effort to contain it. (An AMC rep declined to comment.)
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In a recent interview with IGN, series creator Robert Kirkman — who is shepherding the spin-off along with fellow Walking Dead EPs Gale Anne Hurd and David Alpert — confirmed that the new series will be set in a “different location” and feature “completely different people,” adding. “It definitely won’t be set in Georgia… It’s important to us that this show exists on its own. The spin-off has to be a show worthy of existing, or else we’ve all sold out.”
Insiders caution that the project is in the very early stages of development and nothing is set in stone. Translation: Even if this is the plan, it could very well change. AMC is eying a 2015 launch for the show so there’s no rush."


http://tv.yahoo.com/news/amcs-walking-dead-spin-off-premise-revealed-183412152.html




Sounds interesting.

 

[Pondwater]

2015... A replacement for when Mad Men ends.

 

[Mr. Adventure]

^^ Breaking Dead?

 

[Borgminister]

I want to how they would handle an adaptation of the Preacher comic... which sounds like it could be absolutely cringeworthy on a lesser network.

 

[wissaboo]

I was thinking yesterday it might be interesting to see something, say, 75 years into the future. Find out where society has gone.

 

[Guy Gardener]

Having just read the word "madmen", I was thinking the opposite.

75 years in the past, showing a different Zombie outbreak.

 

[bigdaddy]

^^ Breaking Dead?

No.

Break Dead Men

 

[Dream]

This show won't have the budget to show a real live Zombie Apocalypse and we will get something lame. AMC is already so cheap with TWD as it is, they won't spend the money necessary for this new show.

 

[publiusr]

I can see an island nation unaffected (largely.) My dream would be to see David Attenborough do a fictional documentary of zombies, where you see our heros in the background. You never hear them speak--but only see them through the eyes of the naturalists.

 

[Scout101]

I was thinking yesterday it might be interesting to see something, say, 75 years into the future. Find out where society has gone.

Just to ask, what do you imagine would be worth watching about that future show? Two options, really:

-The zombies have 'won' and there are just shuffling zombies on screen all show. Maybe even worse, as the zombies will eventually decay too far to be viable, so really just more of watching a field, or whatever wildlife has survived.

-People have either destroyed all the zombies, or carved out significant strongholds. So it's either just a regular rebuilding show (with the addition of ritual stabbing of the brain upon death), or basically the same thing but with big walls, or occasional excursions to clean the area.

Either way, at that point in the future, we've either figured out how to live in that world, or gone extinct. Shouldn't be much room left for drama there. Anyone left is an expert in zombies, so if you don't cure it, you've at least got lots of experience. You'd have the initial victims no longer viable, and the supply of fresh zombies should be low, so at that point in the future, it may be rare to even SEE one anymore, except for the occasional sickness or accident. And survivors would know how to deal with the bodies, and stabbing them in the brain would be a standard part of declaring time of death by doctors...

All part of why most zombie movies/shows stick to the initial outbreak period. More drama, less experience, numbers in the zombies' favor. that far in the future, no longer really a threat.

Maybe interesting as a one-off episode, though. Either a flash-forward or as a finale, just to see where things went, but doesn't seem interesting as a series premise.

 

[dansigal]

-People have either destroyed all the zombies, or carved out significant strongholds. So it's either just a regular rebuilding show (with the addition of ritual stabbing of the brain upon death), or basically the same thing but with big walls, or occasional excursions to clean the area.

Either way, at that point in the future, we've either figured out how to live in that world, or gone extinct. Shouldn't be much room left for drama there.

Not if you have enough imagination and creativity. Looking at a world where you forever have to deal with zombification upon death and potential outbreaks and possibly large areas of land that are too contaminated with the undead to be claimed could be incredibly interesting. Just check out the Newsfeed trilogy for one example of it being done incredibly well.

 

[Scout101]

Even with 'imagination and creativity', after 75 years even zombies should have died of natural causes. Especially since their food supply will have either died out, joined them in zombie-hood, or smartened up enough to no longer be much threatened by them.

Really, at 75 years out, do you still see groups running in fear or hiding in burned out houses? Rick's group cleaned out a prison with like 6 people, and it was swamped with zombies. That far in the future, groups of humans will either have died out or banded together and created something a little more permanent and secured.

Rick's defenses at the prison aren't special, but if they lived there for 75 years, they'd probably get around to fortifying more. Or they'd have been overrun eventually. it definitely wouldn't be the status quo.

How would areas still be contaminated with the undead, if some are showing signs of decay after ~2 years? After 75 years, just time, the elements, and attrition would eliminate most of them. No large populations of people to refresh the zombie population, most of the undead are from the original outbreak. And everyone's figured out that you don't have to be bitten, so tradition/ritual would be to stab your dead in the head upon death, there'd probably be a whole deal built up around it, and it would be standard training for doctors/first responders.

It's not a live enemy that breeds, grows stronger, plans, builds, etc. It's a plague that feeds on fresh victims. When you're out of victims, it's just a matter of time. Just seems like something you'd learn to 'live with' eventually, which isn't exciting tv. Maybe eventually you lose a small town or something when there's a flu/virus or large accident and you get a bunch of zombies at once, but you'd never get that in large enough numbers to catch on like the original infection, and most importantly, there aren't as many humans around to feed on/turn into new zombies. They ate through their food supply and they aren't making new zombies very much anymore.

As much as a zombie outbreak is dumb from a practicality standpoint in the first place, having one last more than a decade or so is just doubly stupid. It's not a sustainable problem. It would be terrifying at first, survivable for a while, but eventually it just burns itself out. You'll get little pockets that pop up here and there, but no fuel left to reignite the fire. And everyone left is a veteran of the zombie fights, it's just not scary anymore.

Even now, much of Rick's group goes after zombies about like picking weeds, unless they attack in huge groups. Basically everyone still alive would have that training, and at 75 years later, it's something that 2-3 generations have been trained to do since birth. Look how well Carl has adapted to the new situation. At 75 years, you're talking about either his grandkids or possibly great-grandkids. If any still existed, going out into the woods to kill a couple zombies would be something you do when you're bored and skip school...

 

[DarthTom]

^^ Romero's Land of the Dead is about several years forward after the ZA and a small area of Pittsburgh that is ruled by a dictator. It also advances the notion that the zombies can become smarter.

But generally I agree - the Walking Dead Universe 75 years moving forward has few stories to tell whereas right after the ZA occurs there are many.

A story about the highest levels of the US government and how they delt with the fall would be interesting IMO and fit nicely with the upcoming presidential election after 2015 occcuring in 2016 and no doubt the visceral feelings on both sides of the aisle about each party.

 

[Scout101]

Yeah, it got a little silly later. Even then, while society had been going a while, the zombies had 'movie magic' where they are all nice and fresh like they turned yesterday. Again, as dumb as any ZA is, those ideas get dumber the longer the duration you add to it. Weather, exposure, what are they eating, bodies (even undead ones) need fuel to run, etc. With the population dead, in hiding, or well armed/trained/fortified, zombies would just sort of burn out or fade away.

Movies can get away with things a lot better than a show. You can toss an idea out there, run with it for two hours, and roll credits. It's tougher with a tv show, you're stuck living with these decisions and rationale for years (if you're lucky).

And yeah, the exciting part is at the beginning of a ZA. Overwhelming numbers, fall of civilization, untrained and improvising fighters clinging to old ways, etc. Battle-hardened populace that's well trained and fortified vs. a dwindling zombie population isn't exciting. Bus accident creates a couple dozen new walkers, you send a couple guys to take care of it, laugh over dinner. Not much there. To make it worth anything, they'd have to be able to survive and increase their numbers, and show SOME sort of thinking/planning. The walkers in TWD just aren't those bad guys. Hell, without being too spoilery, check out the walkers in last night's episode. The main character was in a fugue state and just kinda walking around, and even now (two years post-ZA), was never really in danger. Wanna watch a whole series like that? They weren't even bad scenery...

A show with more fall of civilization would be more fun. Do a more global perspective, show a government or military group slowly losing control. Essentially, make WWZ the way it should have been, instead of the crappy movie we got.

 

[DarthTom]

Movies can get away with things a lot better than a show. You can toss an idea out there, run with it for two hours, and roll credits. It's tougher with a tv show, you're stuck living with these decisions and rationale for years (if you're lucky).

If you recall in Day of the Dead they show a zombie, 'Bub,' who acts with human like emotions. The creature even retaliates after his Dr. friend is murdered by the soliders protecting the base. Bub also picks up a gun and shoots someone.

I'm hoping the Walking Dead will not try to give some of the zombies personalities as Romero did in two of his films - which as you say works on film but not in a series.

 

[Scout101]

Yeah, that was one of the lamer parts of that series, and at that point they were just reaching for things to do, even they realized the massive zombie horde was unsustainable, and any remaining survivors were too well trained, armed, and fortified to really be threatened anymore. The thrill of the zombie genre is in the collapse of society, being overwhelmed, and running in fear. Which kinda burns out a couple years post-ZA.

At that point, it's more akin to weeding the garden or pest control than it is zombie war. One pops up, you just take care of it and go about your day. Not scary or overwhelming, and you've been doing it all your life.

At that point, you're so far past jumping the shark that you might as well go to Warm Bodies and just have them become human again through the power of love. Even then, that was some sort of infection/change vice straight up undead, no? Nothing left to save, redeem, or learn with the TWD walkers.

 

[Dream]

AMC officially orders The Walking Dead companion Pilot

I'm honestly worried about this show hurting the main show's ratings. This spinoff automatically makes the original show less special, being the only zombie show on television.

AMC is getting a little greedy here wanting two monster hits instead of one, but I'll give them credit for waiting until TWD finishes five seasons first. I really doubt TWD would be as big as it currently is if the spinoff had been rushed onto the air after TWD's first season. TWD needed time to build its audience to have those stunningly high ratings it now has.

I don't see this spinoff being another Once Upon a Time in Wonderland situation and ending after one season though, since the main show is so huge.

 

[Mr Light]

I've always assumed the spin-off would show well off people in a well off area; or else it's just more of the same.

 

[JD]

My biggest fear is that it will just end up getting repetitive with the two on the air at the same time. Then we're also getting Z Nation (I think that's it's name), on Syfy so at that point we'll have three running if that one lasts.

 

[davejames]

I'm kinda wondering just how different and unique they can really make this spinoff. Because no matter what new setting these characters are in, everything is still going to look pretty much equally dilapidated and grungy and beat to shit by this point. And you're still going to have the same types of zombies chasing people around.

I also kind of liked the idea that the only view we DID get of this world was through Rick and the others in his group. And that we had no clue what was going on anywhere else, and were just as hungry as they were for any small piece of news we could get.