Behind-the-scenes drama continues on the set of The Walking Dead, as a new report confirms that AMC executives have flown to the set in an attempt to calm down tension after the firing of showrunner Frank Darabont:
"AMC president Charlie Collier and head of original programming Joel Stillerman on Thursday flew to Atlanta for a one-day visit to the production offices of The Walking Dead, where they met with a cast and crew roiled by the abrupt firing of showrunner Frank Darabont.
Sources say the Walking Dead cast and crew have been unhappy since late July, when they were summoned to a lunch meeting with AMC vp scripted programming Ben Davis, who confirmed that Darabont was out. A source says some on the production of the hit zombie drama had been asking that Collier or another high-level AMC executive "go and own up to this, and they delayed for the last week." The network confirms to The Hollywood Reporter that Collier and Stillerman were on set on Thursday and returned to their New York offices the same day.
Since Darabont was fired, there has been chatter on the set about the cast and crew possibly staging a work stoppage in protest. The agencies representing the show's creative talent have urged them not to walk out, and no work stoppage has occurred."
Whether or not fans were 100% happy with the first season of The Walking Dead, abruptly removing one of the main creative forces behind the show during the middle of filming is bad for everyone. AMC has a hit show on their hands and we know they'd rather fans and the press focus on the upcoming season and not behind-the-scenes drama. Glen Mazzara took over as the new showrunner and we're hoping to hear more from him and AMC so we can get the other side of this story.
In the meantime, there has been no work stoppage as of yet, and the second season is still set to premiere on AMC October 16th at 9PM.
After spending more than 10 years as a consultant in the tech and entertainment industry, Jonathan James launched Daily Dead in 2010 to share his interest in horror and sci-fi. Since then, it has grown into an online magazine with a staff of writers that provide daily news, reviews, interviews, and special features.
As the Editor-in-Chief of Daily Dead, Jonathan is responsible for bringing the latest horror news to millions of readers from around the world. He is also consulted with as an expert on zombies in entertainment and pop culture, providing analyses of the zombie sub-genre to newspapers, radio stations, and convention attendees.
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