George Romero's 'Empire Of The Dead' TV Series Lands At AMC

Over the past decade, AMC has served up shows about ad men, androids, drug kingpins, computer engineeers, Revolutionary War spies, and cops of all stripes. But no subject has been more reliable for them than zombies. The Walking Dead remains a juggernaut for the network, no matter how cranky viewers get about certain unresolved cliffhangers. So much so that it's spawned not one but two successful spinoff series, Talking Dead and Fear the Walking Dead.

In that light, it's no wonder AMC seems as hungry for stories about the undead as the undead are for brains. According to a new report, the network's next venture into zombie territory will be Empire of the Dead, based on a Marvel comic written by the godfather of the zombies himself, George A. Romero. More about the possible Empire of the Dead TV show after the jump. 

Empire of the Dead artist Arthur Suydam let the news slip while speaking to WHAS11 (via Bleeding Cool) at Wizard World Comic Con Louisville:

The series that I just finished up for Marvel Comics as a matter of fact, so this is me and George Romero... This just got signed to AMC. This is going to be the new big zombie series on AMC, it's expected to be this one right here.

We'd caution you to take the Empire of the Dead TV show news with a grain of salt, as AMC hasn't announced anything as of yet. Even if AMC has picked up Empire of the Dead, there's no guarantee a TV series will ever actually see the light of day.

While AMC's involvement is news, this isn't the first we've heard about an Empire of the Dead show. Earlier this year Demarest (the production company behind A Most Wanted Man, Tusk, and more) announced plans to adapt Romero's comics into a TV series. At the time we reported Romero and Peter Grunwald would write and executive produce the series, with Demarest's Sam Englebardt and William D. Johnson also serving as executive producers.

The 15-issue miniseries which ran from January 2014 through August 2015, unfolded in a post-zombie-outbreak New York City. If the show stays faithful to the comics, Empire of the Dead shouldn't just be another Walking Dead retread. For one thing, the zombies of Empire of the Dead play by slightly different rules. For another, the story also features a sizable vampire population, with the poor tasty humans caught in the middle.

Here's the synopsis for the first issue, via Marvel Comics:

ZOMBIE GODFATHER GEORGE ROMERO UNLEASHES HIS NEXT UNDEAD EPIC—AS AN ALL-NEW MARVEL COMIC! Welcome to New York City years after the undead plague has erupted—but just because Manhattan has been quarantined, don't think that everyone inside is safe! Not only do flesh-eaters roam within Manhattan, but there's another ancient predator about to take a bite out of the Big Apple! Plus: It's a terrorizing team-up in variant cover form when the Zombie Godfather unites with the Zombie King – Arthur Suydam!