AMC fires ‘Walking Dead’ showrunner Frank Darabont

During the production of the show’s second season in 2011, one of the show’s writers and showrunner, Frank Darabont, was fired due to his refusal to AMC’s request to increase the amount of episodes in a season, after they had slashed the show’s budget. Darabont went on record during an interview with the Hollywood Reporter, calling AMC “notoriously a pain in the ass.”

Jeffrey DeMunn, who portrayed the character Dale, decided to resign from the show after Darabont’s firing. The original story was then changed to have the Dale character killed off later into the season, which began a series of changes to the original concept.

Darabont and his agents at CAA claimed that AMC breached his contract and deprived him of tens of millions of dollars in profits from the hit series by making a sweetheart deal licensing the show to itself. Darabont is now suing for $280 million, but the case has been ongoing since 2013.

Walking Dead character pros and cons:

Michonne:

Pros:

• Skilled, katana wielding wanderer
• Intuitive, catches onto traps and tricks set up by the living

Cons:

• Not much personality, ranges from angry to trying to be sympathetic
• Relationship with main character, Rick, feels forced and awkward

Carol:

Pros:

• Straightforward, willing to make sacrifices when necessary
• Puts on an “innocent” persona, to trick people and make them underestimate her

Cons:

• She begins to hate having to kill, even though the people she kills are evil
• Becomes a hermit in most recent season (7), out of a lot of the action

Daryl:

Pros:

• One of the most resourceful survivor of the group, almost an unstoppable force
• Has an engaging character arc, changes from a stubborn recluse to a loyal friend

Cons:

• Moves past the losses of others a little too quickly, needs more time to mourn
• His stubbornness gets him in a lot of trouble, will sometimes make decisions that put the group at risk