So, now that AMC (The channel, not the theater)  has picked up the rights to one of the hottest Image titles around, It’s time for “teh inter-tubes” to collectively speculate on the whole situation, so here are my two cents…

First of all, Frank Darabont is going to write, direct and produce the series.  This is the man that adapted the epic Shawshank Redemption and emotional Green Mile for the screen.  Why are these significant?  Both films deal heavily with themes of being trapped against one’s will.  Sound like a familiar idea explored in the Walking Dead books?

Plus, and anyone fan or not can get behind this, according to Examiner.com Darabont has been voraciously pitching the idea for some time.  This means that the man writing, directing and producing this show is just as excited to create it as most of us are to watch it.

Then you have the fact that this is AMC, which has been putting out some decent programming.  Mad Men has taken down 6 Emmys and Breaking Bad explores some seriously dark themes (not to mention its own 2 Emmys).  All of these points add up to tons of hype.  Three parts talent behind-the-scenes with one part passion and a dash of reputation equals one fantastic show!

In my mind at least…

Like most things in life, there is the huge possibility for some down sides.  Intense shadowing and contrast added definition to the characters on the pulp.  A major problem could be usage of color, I can see execs demanding color to help appeal to the masses, but Darabont seems so excited about the project he may want to be a purist about the whole thing.

This is where the Sky Captain fix should be explored.  See, “Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow” was this crappy movie that came out on my birthday a few years back (2004).  In one of the worst pieces of advertising known to man, they spammed Angelina’s appearance, only to have a few minutes worth of screen time payoff.  (Not that I was there only to see ol’ lover lips…)  The movie was also generally crappy, jumping incoherently from one plot point to the next with its greatest achievement being that it was all done in CGI using live actors.  The muted colors used in that film were a seriously redeeming quality, however, and I feel the same coloration could be put to good use with Walking Dead.

Then we drop the dreaded F-bomb.  Our favorite band of survivors frequently curse up a small tsunami, an important part of daily life in the apocalypse.  Will the FCC put a stop to all of their rage and  homicidal hijinx?  Speaking of violence, will we see how Michonne punishes the Governor, or will it only be hinted at? There were a few gory and painful scenes in the book that may not make it to the screen.  This is where Saw comes into play.

Remember Saw? Jigsaw? The first one, directed by James Wan?  The rest were crap (Not open to debate), but the first one showed us just enough to make us turn away before switching scenes on us when we did.  This was a very effective horror technique, in my book, because you didn’t have to be a fan of gore to appreciate what the film was doing to you.  This created an emphasis on psychological tension over eye gouging gore.  This is exactly what the Walking Dead series needs at its forefront.

However, viewing the footage of the Kick-Ass film has given me some comfort as to how much latitude film and television producers are willing to give to comic violence and gore.  I mean, I don’t think anyone figured they’d actually film Nicholas Cage shooting a ten year old girl.

There is a lot to get excited about, so fans of the series should take their time to rejoice.  The rest of you should go to your nearest comic book shop and read the hell out of this thing before television execs have a chance to muck it up and send it shambling off into cancellation land.  I’m not saying it’s doomed to failure, but there is a lot of room for speculation here on the negative and positive sides.

So throw your change in the pot.  What do you want to see from this series?  Do you think harsh language and ultra violence will strike a censorship issue?  Do you want to see the series stick faithful to the books, or would you rather see some more exploration of the world and its characters?  Sound off, because once the zombies come no one will answer your screams.

Richard Bashara
Rich@comicimpact.com