The spin-off of The Walking Dead has not even aired yet, but AMC has already ordered two seasons of zombieness. The show, which has no official title (rumors are it might be called the rather uninspired Fear The Walking Dead or the rather intriguing Cobalt), will take place in Los Angeles and cover events prior to the timeline of The Walking Dead. Robert Kirkman, who wrote the original Walking Dead comic, is one of the new show’s creators. Fans of the comic will be disappointed to learn that the series is not based on any of the original source material. “For the TV spin-off, I’m coming up with that stuff. It’s unrelated to the comics. What’s happening in issue 127 is in no way connected to the spin-off TV show.”
The cast includes Kim Dickens (Gone Girl) and Cliff Curtis (House of Cards). The show’s first season will have six episodes and will air later this year. The Walking Dead is a ratings juggernaut: will the prequel be as successful a spin-off from The Walking Dead as Better Call Saul is from Breaking Bad? And will its tone be different? Based on Kirkman’s comments it is “a fundamentally different show” about “a different type of family that we haven’t explored in The Walking Dead thus far.” Okay, so different city, different people, different story. But the walkers are still the same, right? After all, it is Los Angeles: Will they be hipsters? Aspiring actors? Rad surfer zombies?
