The Walking Dead started as a comic series by Robert Kirkman, artists Tony Moore, and Charlie Adlard in 2003. Publishes primarily in black and white, the series ran for 193 issues before ending in 2019. AMC acquired the rights for the graphic novel from its creator in 2009, before spawning a full-fledged franchise of The Walking Dead.
Kirkman has also written the comic series for Invincible, which is currently busy producing the third season of its animated series on Amazon Prime. This is why there is speculation about his other comic series also someday getting an animated adaptation. The creator said that while he would love for The Walking Dead to get an animation, it can only happen under one circumstance.
Robert Kirkman Says The Walking Dead Animated Adaptation Can Only Happen One Way
Both the comic series as well as the original The Walking Dead show have now come to an end. While the comic series ended after 193 issues in 2019, the TV series capped off in 2022 after 11 long seasons. So when fans asked Kirkman if he would now like to bring the series an animated adaptation like his other comic stories, Invincible and Super Dinosaur, he wrote (via comicbook.com):
“I think it would be a lot of fun to do a faithful animated adaptation, but I don’t know AMC’s appetite for such things.”
“I’d love to see it happen someday, but I don’t think it’ll be possible until I get the rights back from AMC.”
Currently, Kirkman and four other EPs of The Walking Dead series have sued AMC to recover profits from the original show, as well as it’s spin-offs.
The Walking Dead Producers Gained a Victory Against AMC
Back in 2022, Robert Kirkman, alongside four other executive producers of The Walking Dead, filed a lawsuit against AMC, suing the network for breach of contract on the basis of profit distribution. Recently, a court has dismissed AMC’s motion to have the lawsuit dismissed. They argued that they were “entitled to a payment well over $200 million from AMC.”
This is their second attempt after their 2017 suit was denied, where Kirkman and his co-plaintiff’s – Gale Anne Hurd, David Alpert, Charles Eglee, and former showrunner Glen Mazzara – asked for a profit share of well over $1 billion dollars from AMC. After 177 episodes, the original show ended its run in 2022 as the #1 series on basic cable for 12 consecutive years.
The Walking Dead is available for streaming on AMC+.
