AMC Orders Pilot For 'Walking Dead' Companion Series

The Walking Dead is such a big hit for AMC, it's kind of surprising it's taken so long for the channel to branch out with it. Sure they have merchandise, the original comic books, webisodes, and the Talking Dead. Now the network has finally announced it will be attempting a spinoff. A pilot episode has just been ordered for a Walking Dead companion series.

The problem is, they won't announce what it's about. Dave Erickson will be the executive producer and showrunner, as he co-created and co-wrote the pilot with Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman. Kirkman, Gale Anne Hurd and David Alpert from The Walking Dead will also executive produce. And they say the show will give fans an opportunity to explore "what is going on in the zombie apocalypse in other parts of the world." But that's pretty much it. Read the full press release about the Walking Dead companion series below.

Here's the full press release via Coming Soon. The pilot will film in the Fall of 2014 and things will progress from there.

AMC announced today that it has ordered a pilot episode of a companion series for "The Walking Dead." "The Walking Dead," which premiered on AMC in October, 2010, has been the #1 program on television among adults 18-49 for the last two years. Robert Kirkman, Gale Anne Hurd and David Alpert from "The Walking Dead" are also executive producers of the new project which, like the original, is being produced by AMC Studios. Dave Erickson ("Marco Polo," "Sons of Anarchy"), who co-created and co-wrote the pilot with Kirkman, will serve as an executive producer and showrunner."Almost from the beginning of 'The Walking Dead' on AMC, fans have been curious about what is going on in the zombie apocalypse in other parts of the world. In fact, beyond requests for zombie cameos, it's the question I get asked the most," said AMC President Charlie Collier. "Obviously, we all take our stewardship of the original franchise incredibly seriously and we, along with Robert, Gale, David and now Dave, are all proceeding with extreme care in order to ensure that we are offering fans something truly compelling, engaging and distinct. We're thrilled to be taking this next step with these remarkable partners.""There are many corners of 'The Walking Dead' universe that remain unseen in the shadows. Being given the opportunity to shine a light into those corners and see what lurks out there is an absolute thrill. I know the fans are anxious to hear what Dave and I have been cooking up for this new universe of 'The Walking Dead,' and I'm happy to be one step closer to sharing it with them," said Kirkman."I've been fortunate to have collaborated with both Robert and AMC on past projects and I'm thrilled to join them again, along with Gale and David, to build upon 'The Walking Dead's' already epic narrative," said Erickson. The pilot is scheduled for production in late 2014. No additional details are being provided about the location and/or casting for the pilot at this time.The highly-anticipated fifth season of "The Walking Dead" returns to AMC on October 12. "The Walking Dead" is based on the comic book series created and written by Robert Kirkman and published by Skybound, Kirkman's imprint at Image Comics.

So, what do you think the show will be about? Do you think this will ruin the mystique of The Walking Dead? Speculate wildly below.