AMC has ordered a pair of pilots, giving orders to The
Walking Dead and The Killing.
The Walking Dead is based on the comic book series of
the same name by Robert Kirkman, and follows the aftermath of a zombie apocalypse. The Killing is based on the
Danish TV series Forbrydelsen, and ties together three stories into a complex murder mystery.
Kirkman has signed on to executive produce The Walking Dead,
with Academy Award-winner Frank Darabont on board to write, direct and
executive produce. Veena Sud will serve as the writer and executive producer of
The Killing.
"The Walking Dead and The Killing are alone in
their class in terms of the quality of the storytelling," said Joel Stillerman,
AMC's senior VP of original programming, production and digital content. "Both
have remarkable talent behind them, and present that rare opportunity to raise
the bar significantly within a genre. It is a very exciting next step in our
continuing commitment to presenting smart, sophisticated storytelling with
broad appeal."
Since entering the original programming fray in earnest in
2008, AMC has only ordered three pilots: Mad Men, Breaking Bad
and Rubicon. All three received series orders from the Rainbow Media
owned network.
