Readers of Invincible and Outcast know that The Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman has a lot more on the mind than just zombies. Kirkman continues to create worlds with the announcement of his new pre-apocalyptic TV series, Five Year, which will be shown on Viki, a worldwide streaming service that features Korean films and TV shows.
Comprised of sixteen episodes, the first of an expected five seasons of Five Year will start production this year. Kirkman came up with the story for the series, which follows a family over time as a meteor that will wipe out humanity steadily approaches Earth.
We'll keep Daily Dead readers updated on more details as they are announced. For more information, we have the official press release with full details:
Press Release: SAN FRANCISCO and LOS ANGELES – February 25, 2016 – Viki, the global TV site powered by fans, today announced that it is partnering with Skybound Entertainment to produce “Five Year,” a series based on an original story by “The Walking Dead” creator Robert Kirkman. The pre-apocalyptic series, about a family living under the threat of a deadly meteor headed toward Earth, will be filmed as a Korean drama.
“This has been a story I have wanted to tell for quite some time, but David [Alpert] and I wanted to make sure it found a proper home where it could grow and breathe creatively. Looking at what Viki has done in not only the dramatic series space, but transforming the way viewers consume and translate media, we knew immediately ‘Five Year’ had found its home,” said Robert Kirkman, CEO and co-founder of Skybound Entertainment and creator of “Five Year.”
The series will debut its first 16-episode season on Korean broadcast television and worldwide on Viki. The series will take place over the course of five years with five seasons anticipated. Filming will begin later this year.
“As devoted fans of Korean cinema, television, and culture, we’re thrilled to be launching what we hope is the first of many collaborations with the Korean entertainment industry. “Five Year”, which tells the story of one family dealing with the impending apocalypse, is the perfect property to launch our partnership. It highlights the intense interpersonal moments that Korean dramas capture so well, and sets them against the epic backdrop for which Skybound has become known,” said president and co-founder of Skybound Entertainment David Alpert.
“In many ways, Viki and Skybound represent the future of global entertainment, particularly with Hollywood-Asia collaborations and VOD platforms like Viki leading distribution and fan-building,” said Tammy H. Nam, CEO of Viki. “We’re thrilled to be working with the creators and executive producers of one of the most popular TV series of all time. The fact that David and Robert wanted to make ‘Five Year’ as a K-drama is a testament to the massive global popularity and quality of Asian programming.”
“Five Year” is the second original series produced by Viki. “Dramaworld,” a 10-episode miniseries set in Los Angeles and Korea with a multinational cast and crew, will debut spring 2016 on Viki.com. “Dramaworld” is a co-production with China’s Jetavana Entertainment, EnterMedia Contents, and Third Culture Content.
To learn more about the global content available on Viki, please visit Viki.com.
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About Viki
Viki is a global TV site with TV shows, movies and other premium content, translated into more than 200 languages by a community of avid fans. With tens of millions of viewers each month and over 1 billion words translated, Viki uniquely brings global prime-time entertainment to new audiences and unlocks new markets and revenue opportunities for content owners. Viki is a subsidiary of Japanese Internet services company Rakuten with offices in San Francisco, Singapore, Seoul and Tokyo.About Skybound Entertainment
In 2010, The Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman saw an opportunity to start a company that would nurture creators and give them resources to produce content while retaining creative control of their properties. Partnering with longtime collaborator, and fellow executive producer of The Walking Dead television franchise David Alpert, Skybound Entertainment was born.Since opening its doors Skybound Entertainment has grown into a multiplatform entertainment company. CEO Robert Kirkman is creator of the award-winning The Walking Dead comic book series, the inspiration for the hit TV show of the same name where he serves as creator and executive producer. To date The Walking Dead is the #1 show on television among the coveted 18-49 demo. Kirkman and Alpert also serve as executive producers on the companion series, Fear the Walking Dead, which premiered in August 2015 and set records by becoming the #1 rated cable television series launch of all time.
Skybound Entertainment recently produced its first feature film, AIR, starring The Walking Dead’s Norman Reedus and Academy Award-nominated actor Djimon Hounsou. The film was released in August 2015. Kirkman and Alpert serve as producers on the post apocalyptic sci-fi film.
Skybound released Kirkman’s newest comic, Outcast, in June 2014 which recently received a series pickup for CINEMAX with Fox International attached as the studio. Outcast, starring Patrick Fugit as Kyle Barnes and Philip Glenister as Reverend Anderson. The first season wrapped production in December 2015. Kirkman and Alpert serve as executive producers on the series.
The company also produced, Gone, the first narrative virtual series available on Samsung’s Milk VR headset. The eagerly awaited YouTube Red series, Scare PewDiePie, will launch in 2016.
Other comic book titles published by Skybound include The Walking Dead, the superhero comic Invincible, fantasy adventure comic Birthright, the revenge drama Dead Body Road, and heist comic Thief of Thieves.
Skybound also creates a wide range of merchandise, including its first tabletop card game Superfight, apparel, board games, and action figures.
For more information, please visit Skybound online at www.skybound.com and www.thewalkingdead.com.
Raised on a steady diet of R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps books and Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Derek has been fascinated with fear since he first saw ForeverWare being used on an episode of Eerie, Indiana.
When he’s not writing about horror as the Senior News Reporter for Daily Dead, Derek can be found daydreaming about the Santa Carla Boardwalk from The Lost Boys or reading Stephen King and Brian Keene novels.
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