The Walking Dead was a massive hit among fans when it first aired on AMC, and Frank Darabont was responsible for overseeing the project and making sure the story comes to life on the small screen. As a veteran horror film director and avid fan of the source material, he helped launch the franchise.
Unfortunately, he and AMC did not see eye to eye which ended up with him getting fired from the show. Just before the second season wrapped up, the showrunner was terminated. The word was that he found difficulty working on TV sets as he’s more used to films.
Former The Walking Dead Showrunner Frank Darabont Breaks Silence On His Dismissal
Speaking with TVGuide.com via IGN, director Frank Darabont opened up about his departure from The Walking Dead. He clashed with the network when they demanded to make more episodes with a limited budget.
“It was, for the sake of my cast and my crew, a tremendously regretful thing to face, to have to leave. But I was really given no choice. I don’t understand the thinking behind, ‘Oh, this is the most successful show in the history of basic cable. Let’s gut the budgets now.’ I never did understand that and I think they got tired of hearing me complain about it.”
Of course, the issue was beyond the financial conflict. Still, Darabont did the best he could to finish up his work before leaving for good.
“It’s a little more complicated than that, but that’s as far as I want to go with it because otherwise it’s just provoking more controversy and that’s not really of interest to me. I just want to keep my head down and do my job and be allowed to do my job, that’s key, and continue to, hopefully, enjoy it and do good work.”
He did not want to say anything that would elicit more rumors and problems, though fans were angry at AMC for refusing to officially comment on Darabont’s dismissal.
In the end, he launched two lawsuits against the network. In 2013, he sought $280 million in unpaid profits from licensing fees. Then, he demanded additional pay as he claimed AMC owed him as much credit as Robert Kirkman, co-creator of The Walking Dead.
Frank Darabont Did Not Keep Up With The Walking Dead
Darabont was still bitter about his exit from the zombie show. When interviewed by Variety if he kept tab of the series, he replied in the negative.
“Oh god no, why would I? … There’s a deep commitment and emotional investment that happens when you create something that is very near and dear to you, and when that is torn asunder by sociopaths who don’t give a s—t about your feelings or the feelings of your cast and crew because they have their own reasons to screw everybody, that doesn’t feel good.”
It’s incredibly sad to see one’s passion project get handed to another, and it’s even more painful to see how the once-promising show diminish its quality over time.
The Walking Dead is available to stream via AMC and Netflix.
