Sci-Fi Storm

It may not have a name yet, but it’s got two seasons already on order…the companion series to The Walking Dead, which AMC ordered a pilot for last September, has already been picked up for two seasons – an initial 6-episode season which would likely lead into the mothership’s sixth season, and a second season of an indeterminate number of episodes to air in 2016.

The companion show will be set in Los Angeles and have all new characters. It stars Cliff Curtis, Kim Dickens, Frank Dillane and Alycia Debnam Carey. Co-creator/co-writer (with Robert Kirkman) Dave Erickson will executive produce and act as showrunner. The Walking Dead production gang of Kirkman, Gale Anne Hurd, Greg Nicotero and David Alpert will also executive produce.

Excited for tonight? Get a taste with the first four minutes of tonight’s premiere episode right here! The Walking Dead returns to AMC tonight at 9/8c!
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AMC has held to their pattern of early pickups and ordered a sixth season of its record breaking series The Walking Dead just ahead of the 5th season debut this Sunday.

The Walking Dead has been riding a high, topping the TV charts for adults 18-49 for two straight years and finished off its fourth season with a 15.7 million viewer finale – 3.3 million higher than the previous season finale. It averaged 13.3 million viewers over the whole fourth season.

It’s been almost a year since we heard about plans to create a “companion” series to AMC’s The Walking Dead, which would explore the Zombie Apocalypse in a different area of the world. Finally it is one step closer to happening with AMC giving a pilot order for the show.

We still don’t know anything about the show’s premise or location, but we do know that Dave Erickson, who helped create and write the pilot of The Walking Dead with Robert Kirkman, will be the showrunner and executive producer. The executive producing team of Kirkman, Gale Anne Hurd and David Alpert from the parent show will also be executive producers.

Production is expected to begin in late 2014.

After two wildly successful appearances in Universal Orlando’s Halloween Horror Nights, AMC’s The Walking Dead will return for a third consecutive year – a first for the event – and this time it will be inspired by Terminus, the mysterious location the survivors arrived at when Season 4 ended…and discovered it doesn’t seem to be the haven they hoped for.

This year’s bone-chilling mazes will place guests at the heart of a harrowing journey to seek sanctuary at Terminus, an elusive destination that promises community for all. Mirroring the terror that befell the residents of the West Georgia Correctional Facility, now overrun by savage walkers, the experience will send guests fleeing from the fallen prison into unknown territory as they once again stage a desperate battle for survival against flesh-eating walkers and ruthless humans.

The Walking Dead is based on the graphic novel written by Robert Kirkman and published by Image Comics. The series tells the story of the months and years after a zombie apocalypse. It follows a group of survivors, led by sheriff Rick Grimes, who travel in search of a safe and secure home. The Walking Dead is the number-one show on television for adults 18-49. AMC’s The Walking Dead returns for Season 5 this October.

“This has been an incredible collaboration and I am thrilled to be working once again with the creative teams at Universal Orlando and Universal Studios Hollywood to bring the world of ‘The Walking Dead’ to our dedicated fans,” said Greg Nicotero, Executive Producer and Special Effect Makeup Supervisor for the series. “I can’t wait for visitors to experience first-hand some of the iconic moments from Season 4 in what will be the biggest, most exciting and frightening ‘Walking Dead’ maze to date.”
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So, how do you scare a guy who kills zombies all the time? Catch him a little off guard…

Norman Reedus, who plays zombie-killer Daryl Dixon The Walking Dead, was in Japan for a press junket promoting the second half of the season along with a number of other members of the cast and crew, including Andrew Lincoln (Rick Grimes) and makeup artist/producer Greg Nicotero. And while they were there, they decided to pull of a little prank on Norman…they invited Nick Santonastasso, who was born with no legs and only one arm and has been making a name for himself online for pranking people as a zombie, to come out to Tokyo with them, be put in full makeup, and then come out and scare Norman while he’s trying to shoot a short promo spot in front of a camera.

See the whole thing here…
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To no one’s surprise given the stronger-than-ever ratings since the debut of Season 4, AMC announced today that it is renewing its flagship drama The Walking Dead for a fifth season. “This is a show that has erased traditional distinctions between cable and broadcast.” said AMC President Charlie Collier in the statement. “Its expanding base of passionate fans has grown every season, most recently – and most notably – with the season four premiere earlier this month, which broke viewership records for the series and became the biggest non-sports telecast in cable history.” Also announced is that the team behind it – showrunner Scott Gimple, executive producer Gale Anne Hurd and executive producer/creator Robert Kirkman – will continue with the show as well.

The Walking Dead returned to best-ever ratings Sunday, and the cast attended the red carpet at Universal’s Citywalk in Orlando…and also checked out the happenings at Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Orlando – including The Walking Dead maze…check out clips below. It seems that Norman Reedus might not be as brave as Daryl… 🙂
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AMC plans to create a spin-off series of hit show The Walking Dead, and is working with executive producers Robert Kirkman, Gale Anne Hurd and David Alpert to launch the series in 2015.

Not much more is known about the series at this time, other than according to AMC president/GM Charlie Collier, “It’s a big world and we can’t wait to give fans another unforgettable view of the zombie apocalypse.”

Kirkman, who wrote the original comic book on which the show is based, added, “After 10 years of writing the comic book series and being so close to the debut of our fourth, and in my opinion, best season of the TV series, I couldn’t be more thrilled about getting the chance to create a new corner of The Walking Dead universe. The opportunity to make a show that isn’t tethered by the events of the comic book, and is truly a blank page, has set my creativity racing.”

The Walking Dead returns October 13th for its fourth season.