AMC Plans 'The Walking Dead' Spinoff

Better call... Robert Kirkman? As Breaking Bad fans speculate about the developing spinoff series Better Call Saul, AMC has announced a companion show for another of its biggest hits, The Walking Dead.

The as yet unnamed scripted series will follow the zombie apocalypse from another perspective, following a fresh set of characters in a brand-new plotline. Like the original show, the new drama will be based on Kirkman's long-running comic series. Hit the jump for more details.

The new show comes from Kirkman, Gale Anne Hurd, and David Alpert, all of whom serve as executive producers on The Walking Dead. AMC expects to air the series in 2015. It's the second spinoff for The Walking Dead, after the Chris Hardwick-hosted talk show The Talking Dead.

Kirkman expressed his excitement in a statement:

After 10 years of writing the comic book series and being so close to the debut of our fourth, and in my opinion, best season of the TV series, I couldn't be more thrilled about getting the chance to create a new corner of The Walking Dead universe. The opportunity to make a show that isn't tethered by the events of the comic book, and is truly a blank page, has set my creativity racing.

AMC president and GM Charlie Collier got to slip some zombie wordplay into his comment:

Building on the success of the most popular show on television for adults 18-49 is literally a no-brainer. We look forward to working with Robert, Gale and Dave again as we develop an entirely new story and cast of characters. It's a big world and we can't wait to give fans another unforgettable view of the zombie apocalypse.

The news comes at a pivotal time for AMC, as several of its biggest shows are winding down. Breaking Bad has only two episodes left, while Mad Men is slated to end next year. The network also recently cancelled The Killing for a second time. Meanwhile, its much-hyped new series Low Winter Sun has failed to attract much in the way of viewers or critical acclaim.

The Walking Dead returns for its fourth season on October 13.Discuss: Will you watch the Walking Dead spinoff? And does this mean we can expect talk of a Mad Men spinoff? Because if you're listening, AMC, I would watch the crap out of a series about Sally Draper coming of age in the '70s.

[Source: THR]