THE WALKING DEAD Producers On The Show's Adherence To The Source Material

THE WALKING DEAD Producers On The Show's Adherence To The Source Material

The AMC show is fearless when it comes to tweaking conflicts, characters and deaths from how they're originally depicted in Robert Kirkman's comic book. Sometimes those changes are met with anger, sometimes to applause but always to great fanfare. Spoiler Warning

By MarkJulian - Mar 29, 2013 09:03 AM EST
Filed Under: The Walking Dead
Source: THR




AMC The Walking Dead source material


Speaking to THR, the producers for AMC's The Walking Dead discuss their willingness to take the popular television show in different directions from where Robert Kirkman takes the series in the pages of the Image comic book. Many changes have already unfolded in the first two seasons and the journey of the third season but in terms of looking to the season finale, Greg Nicotero stated "It's going to get pretty bloody...Clearly, we've strayed a little bit away from the comic book because Lori and Judith don't die together. That's the trick of The Walking Dead: You never know. It's kind of sad that nobody is safe, but we've already shown that in the first half of the season." Executive producer David Alpert added, "We do some things that are a little bit different than in the comic. If you've read the comic, you don't want to do the same thing. We're going to do something that's going to surprise and shock you while rewarding the fact that if you read the comic, you're going to recognize all the milestones that were built into it."

As a reader of the comic book, I personally welcome the changes as it definitely keeps you guessing and entertained. It's a unique viewing experience when you feel that you have a firm grasp on where a television show is heading and the show surprises you by going in a different direction. This is something The Walking Dead delivers on a regular basis and it even allows the viewers who haven't read the comic book series to go back and start from the beginning and share similar surprise as the differences between the two mediums. One big thread hanging over the third season is whether we'll see The Governor(David Morrisey) survive the big conflict between the residents of Woodbury and Rick's (Andrew Lincoln) band of survivors. "The potential is always there [for The Governor to survive] -- or he could die in the next episode. This is The Walking Dead; you never know."

Tune in for all the zombie goodness on AMC's The Walking Dead Sunday at 9PM PST/EST.

The Walking Dead is an American horror/drama television series developed by Frank Darabont, Robert Kirkman and Gale Anne Hurd. It is based on the comic book series of the same name by Kirkman, Tony Moore, and Charlie Adlard. The series stars Andrew Lincoln as sheriff's deputy Rick Grimes, who awakens from a coma to find the world dominated by flesh-eating "walkers", resembling zombies. He sets out to find his family and encounters many other survivors along the way. The eponymous title of the series refers to the survivors, and not the zombies, as they are all infected by the zombie virus.


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The Walking Dead Season 3 by Teaser-Trailer.com

Running Time: 60 minutes (45 min actual air time)
Release Date: October 14 (Season 3-premiere)
TV Rating: TV-MA for sex & nudity, violence & gore, profanity, alchohol/drugs/smoking and frightening/intense scenes
Starring: Andrew Lincoln, David Morrissey,Chad Coleman,Laurie Holden, Sonequa Martin-Green, Steven Yeun, Chandler Riggs, Emily Kinney, Norman Reedus
Creators: Frank Darabont (show) Robert Kirkman (comic)
Written by: Frank Darabont, Charles H. Eglee, Jack LoGiudice, Robert Kirkman, Glen Mazzara, Adam Fierro, Charlie Adlard, Tony Moore, Evan T. Reilly

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Smallvilleisgood
Smallvilleisgood - 3/29/2013, 9:35 AM
Wow someone put a spoiler warning in..with no massive picture of a spoiler!
Pheezmatic
Pheezmatic - 3/29/2013, 9:38 AM
Im so hung up on whether the Gov should die or not....
beane2099
beane2099 - 3/29/2013, 9:41 AM
Yeah, but my problem is that sometimes they make changes for the sake of making changes. For instance, Tyrese. Why is that character there? Seriously. He went from being an awesome character in the comics to a guy that says "We just want to contribute" every other scene. Seriously, if you edited out all the Tyrese scenes this season, very little would change. Why not just introduce him after the Governor story or something? That's just my feeling on it.
CyberBishop
CyberBishop - 3/29/2013, 9:42 AM
I agree with SuspenseSmith, The show is keeping the heart of the material but moving in a different direction. I mean if it followed the comic to a "t" then would it be as popular as it is now?? We would know who would die and when they did, now we don't know shit... We guess every week as to who is going to make it or not. I love the comics and the show equally.
Bark4Soul
Bark4Soul - 3/29/2013, 9:42 AM
What pic is a spoiler? Maggie hacking into a zombie? OMG NOOOOO a zombie dies?
TayDee
TayDee - 3/29/2013, 9:49 AM
Andrea still sucks ass
OverfiendB
OverfiendB - 3/29/2013, 10:00 AM
i like the fact i know what happens in the comic but the show keeps me guessing! every tv & movie translation deviates from the source! nolan's batman was good & it was way off the source material! let it slide & enjoy it!
Lizardking310
Lizardking310 - 3/29/2013, 10:01 AM
They haven't changed it a little... They've completely changed it. Other than some character names and some location names. The show and comic are two different things I don't know how they can keep calling it the walking dead
Doppelganger
Doppelganger - 3/29/2013, 10:12 AM
I think he's talking about the last posting of walking dead where it shows *SPOILER* Mierl as a zombie.
lapress
lapress - 3/29/2013, 10:19 AM
Maybe Daryl will get "Tyresed"
MisterNiceGuy
MisterNiceGuy - 3/29/2013, 10:21 AM
Obviously they have big plans for Tyrese or they woukdnt focus on him sometimes. Keep in mind this is a show that could last a long time. They have an endless amount of time to do something with him. I'm sure they know what theu are doing
MisterNiceGuy
MisterNiceGuy - 3/29/2013, 10:28 AM
I swear some of you never learn. If you haven't caught on yet, all of these movies and shows that we love\hate so much are ADAPTATIONS not a direct translation. Its not as feesable as we like to think to put some of this stuff on screen as it is on paper. Most of the time they make changes for the better
MisterNiceGuy
MisterNiceGuy - 3/29/2013, 10:30 AM
I do findnit it funny though how Tyrese' only lines have been "nobody needs to get hurt" "we don't want any trouble" and "we just wanna contribute". I swear he has said those 3 lines at least 3 times each
GAH
GAH - 3/29/2013, 10:42 AM
I don't get why they changed the tv rating of Twd from TV-14 to TV-MA, they barely curse, there's a lot less gore, and like no nudity.
darkknightmare2012
darkknightmare2012 - 3/29/2013, 11:15 AM
best show on tv ..

1 WALKING DEAD
2 THE FOLLOWING
3 BREAKING BAD
4 DEXTER
5 WORKAHOLICS
MisterNiceGuy
MisterNiceGuy - 3/29/2013, 1:05 PM
@hope, you can never get rid of the hate. If it was a spot on adaption of the comics people would still find something to bitch about unfortunately
GUNSMITH
GUNSMITH - 3/29/2013, 1:21 PM
IF YOU KNEW EVERYTHING THAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN EVERYTHING BECOMES PREDICTABLE TO THE DIE HARD COMICBOOK FANS...SO DIFFERENT IS BETTER..NEW AND UNEXPECTED.
birdfists
birdfists - 3/29/2013, 2:18 PM
I was thinking Daryl would get the Tyreese treatment in the show. Because he's rick's best friend in the show, and he never got back to the group. And Tyreese's death wouldn't men anything in the show because they didn't develop him at all.
Durango95
Durango95 - 3/29/2013, 2:34 PM
Im currently catching up with the book and even tho its takes liberties here & there,I still love the show.
thissiteSUCKS
thissiteSUCKS - 3/29/2013, 4:13 PM
THE ONLY SPOILER I CAN "POSSIBLY" READ IS THAT JUDITH WILL DIE. GOD I WOULD HATE THAT. SHE COULD DEVELOP INTO A KICK ASS LITTLE BEAST...... IF THEY BRING HER UP RIGHT THAT IS.
beane2099
beane2099 - 3/29/2013, 5:14 PM
I really don't have a problem with the show being different from the comic. Honestly I read the book when it first came out and stopped not long before the prison. I started picking it up again near issue 100. Character changes I'm okay with. Do it to it.

But sometimes they just do things at odd times for odd reasons. Like they'll dramatically put closure on something and then revisit it two episodes later. For instance, I felt like the Rick/Shane thing was definitively settled when Rick rescued Shane from that bus. But then they reopened that business two episodes later. Why do it twice? Likewise with Rick's craziness. They put dramatic closure to his craziness with that phone call business. Then they suddenly brought it back when he meets Tyrese. Again, it was odd. I get that in life, nothing ends cleanly. But then don't dramatically end something just to bring it up again two days letter. Story wise it feels off. Maybe that's a meta theme. Where themes and plot points themselves return as zombies.
Carl
Carl - 3/29/2013, 5:18 PM
The writing in the show is pretty weak this season.
Show doesn't hold a candle to the comic.
Jlocklin
Jlocklin - 3/29/2013, 9:49 PM
I'm thinking the Gov. survives and takes Ass Kicker as his own in retribution for Penny. And then Lilly will get introduced sometime. I'm almost positive they stated a long time ago that the Gov. story line would be stretched over 2 seasons.
justified1
justified1 - 3/30/2013, 6:53 AM
darknightmare2012-

I would put Justified on the top of the list. Everything about it is amazing - writing, acting, plotting.

I like the Walking Dead but it is not the best show on tv.
WeAreVenom86
WeAreVenom86 - 3/30/2013, 11:52 PM
Lots of bitching.,...as always.
RedHeadBruno
RedHeadBruno - 3/31/2013, 7:07 AM
@justified1

I second that notion. I am so happy it got renewed for another season because I don't have any friends that watch it no matter how hard I try.

TWD has been weak this season... but a lot of people felt last season was off as well. Change is different but if they change the final jail scene to much from the comic I am done with this show.
RedHeadBruno
RedHeadBruno - 3/31/2013, 7:07 AM
*change is good (sorry)
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