AMC television’s The Walking Dead has enjoyed great ratings and commercial success throughout its freshman season, but Frank Darabont, the show’s writer, executive producer and director, has just pulled a curious move. He has laid off the entire writing staff for the seemingly unstoppable show, but money doesn’t seem to be why pink slips are being handed out.
Darabont plans to employ a freelance model used in the U.K. for the thirteen-episode, second season of the show. The show will not have a traditional writing staff, but will be hiring freelancers instead. While staffing changes from season to season is not uncommon, a complete wiping of the slate, so to speak, is unusual for an American show.
The lay-off wave also swept away Darabont’s #2, executive producer Charles “Chic” Eglee and writer, Glen Mazzara, who wrote this past Sunday’s episode, “Wildfire.” No word if this clean slate will affect source material creator and executive producer Robert Kirkman’s status of involvement on the show.
Does this spell disaster for season two of the hit show? Will the zombie fever boil down to simple delirium next season?
Read more about The Walking Dead here.
