If you watched 'The Walking Dead' last season and were among the masses that felt it was one of the greatest pieces of television ever, then you were probably as shocked as we were when news broke that 'The Walking Dead' director Frank Darabont would not be returning to the show. This was especially shocking in light of the fact that Darabont had just finished promoting 'The Walking Dead's' upcoming season at San Diego Comic-Con. But this wasn't a case of "irreconcilable differences," between Darabont and the heads of AMC. Oh, no. At least that's certainly not what it seemed.
The executive producer's departure was sudden, and was explained to the cast members by AMC's VP of scripted programming, Ben Davis, who pulled cast members aside individually to let them know that Darabont was out. According to a report, cast members were not only shocked by the news of Darabont's departure, they also feared for their own future.
One insider says those gathered were stunned at "the duplicity of AMC" for having used Darabont to promote the show at Comic-Con before firing him. And they were angry about the lack of explanation; they were simply told, cryptically, "This isn't working." Above all, they were disheartened. "It's a crushing blow," says the insider. "Even when you have a hit, they can still destroy you."
Cast members quickly realized how vulnerable they were -- not even the success of the show's first season would be able to safeguard members of the cast and crew from being let go. And who wants to go into work to find out they are unemployed? The shocking thing about Darabont's departure from 'Th Walking Dead' goes beyond the fact that he was actively promoting the series' second season at Comic-Con. Darabont was not only 'The Walking Dead's' director and executive producer, he also wrote the majority of the show, letting go of all of last season's writing staff.
This reveal was especially shocking considering 'The Walking Dead' happens to be AMC's biggest show, period. Additionally, AMC planned to cut funding for the show by approximately $650,000. So with a smaller budget, and without Darabont's vision of what the 'Walking Dead' is all about, should fans be concerned that this season may not fare as well as it's predecessor? And is this really a smart move for AMC's most successful show, which beats Mad Men and Breaking Bad by approximately 2 million viewers?
The recent cuts from the show may have something to do with AMC's split from Cablevision, but the question remains, why fix something that isn't broken? Be careful AMC, you should never bite the hand that feeds you. Especially when zombies are involved.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
