Season 4 officially confirmed - but Glen Mazzara won't be the showrunner...

[MinionZombie]

http://dailydead.com/amc-officially-announces-the-walking-dead-season-4-glen-mazzara-to-step-down-after-season-3/

Sounds amicable, but no doubt they'd be going to great lengths to try and stop any panic after the hardly-amicable departure of Darabont, the only bit that gave me pause for thought/concern is in bold below.

Hopefully Mazzara has helped find an ideal replacement - his work after Darabont left, and thus far in season three, has been fantastic - so I just hope we get someone who is equally as good. Naturally as a huge fan of the show this news makes me a bit nervous ... but hopefully the show will continue to be in good hands, particular with the continuing cast, Gale Anne Hurd, Kirkman, the writers, and the crew etc remaining in place.


Official announcement from AMC:

Today, AMC announces the season 4 pick-up of The Walking Dead.

AMC also jointly announces with Glen Mazzara today that for future seasons, the two parties have mutually decided to part ways. Glen guided the series creatively for seasons 2 and 3. AMC is grateful for his hard work. We are both proud of our shared success.

Both parties acknowledge that there is a difference of opinion about where the show should go moving forward, and conclude that it is best to part ways. This decision is amicable and Glen will remain on for post-production on season 3B as showrunner and executive producer.

Here is the official statement from Glen Mazzara regarding the announcement:

“My time as showrunner on The Walking Dead has been an amazing experience, but after I finish season 3, it’s time to move on. I have told the stories I wanted to tell and connected with our fans on a level that I never imagined. It doesn’t get much better than that. Thank you to everyone who has been a part of this journey.”

Here is the official statement from Gale Anne Hurd regarding the announcement:

“I am appreciative and grateful to Glen for his hard work on ‘The Walking Dead.’ I am supportive of AMC and Glen’s decision and know that the series is in great hands with one of the most talented and dedicated casts and crews in the business. I look forward to the show’s continued success.”

Here is the official statement from Robert Kirkman regarding the announcement:

“I am in full support of both AMC and Glen Mazzara in the decision they have come to and believe the parties came to this decision in the best interest of the future of the show. I thank Glen for his hard work and appreciate his many contributions to The Walking Dead and look forward to working with him as we complete post production on Season 3. I am also excited to begin work on another spectacular season of this show that I know means so much to so many people. This show has always been the result of a wide range of extremely talented men and women working tirelessly to produce their best work collectively. I believe the future is bright for The Walking Dead. Thank you to the fans for your continued support.”

Commence the speculation... :shifty:

[kidgloves]

Im VERY disappointed about the departure of Mazzara. VERY.
I think anyone who has followed the behind the scenes goings on since Darabont left has got a very good idea of what a straight shooting guy Glen is.
Im going to say that his departure is down to him having a 7 season vision for the show whereas the other producers, rightly imho, want to continue it as long as the market will bear it.

[AcesandEights]

Whoah! This is BIG news for all fans of the show! Mazzara really helmed the ship during some classic material and the show has been great since the 2nd half of season 2 (not that it was bad before that).

Well, it's probably good for him, as he will not have to work on something he feels too compromised about and he is certainly getting out while TWD is on top of the ratings! A change could be good, but...yeah...it is of course a bit worrying.



I think anyone who has followed the behind the scenes goings on since Darabont left has got a very good idea of what a straight shooting guy Glen is.
I agree completely and wish him good luck going forward.

On a side note, anyone think we might get a Mazzara-zombie cameo before he finishes his stint? :D

[bassman]

Why do I get the feeling AMC is yet again being too controlling over this series because they fully own it? Mad Men and Breaking Bad don't have this problem because AMC doesn't own them. Hopefully the next showrunner can continue on as well as Mazzara did from Darabont.

[Moon Knight]

Disappointed, but I guess it's just gonna be a wait and see.

[MinionZombie]

I'm sad to see Mazzara moving on - as has been mentioned, he has done an absolutely wonderful job of steering the show post-Darabont. If anything, he improved the show.

Hopefully his replacement will be someone already working on the show - as was the case when Mazzara took over - and I dearly hope this 'difference of opinion' isn't going to impact the show itself. That's the one line that raises concerns, and of course such a brief statement is open to total speculation - so I'm going to try and avoid that (you could be winding yourself up for no good reason - like the concerns after Darabont left, we ended up getting an even better show as a result ... although you do wonder if that will happen twice-in-a-row).

Clearly it's been a stage-managed announcement - so they're aware of the fuss surrounding Darabont's departure, and as such I dearly hope AMC aren't going to stick their oar in - they're the money men, the overseerers of a whole channel - they're not writers, they're not directors, they're not actors, so I hope they leave the creative stuff well enough alone - leave it to the people paid to do those jobs, the people who have those respective talents.

Naturally, after the rough-ride we fans got during season two, our concerns are all piqued by this announcement ... but as kidgloves says, Mazzara is a straight-shooting guy, so hopefully it's nowhere near as bad/sinister/whatever as our hyperactive minds might increasingly perceive it to be.

Concerned? - Yes, very much so. Just keeping my fingers crossed that AMC is paying attention to the fan & media reactions to this announcement.

[bassman]

Kurt Sotter(Sons of Anarchy Showrunner) during Darabont's departure: "No one else wants to ****ing say it, but the greed of Mad Men is killing the other two best shows on TV -- Breaking Bad and Walking Dead,"

Kurt Sotter after yesterday's news:"AMC is run by small-minded, bottom-line thinkers who have no appreciation or gratitude for the effort of its creative personnel," Sutter wrote. "Time and time again we see events like what happened today with Glen Mazzara. They continue to disrespect writers, shit on their audience and bury their network. Mazzara took the work-in-progress that wasWalking Dead" and turned it into a viable TV show with a future. Without him, that future is dim. Showrunners are not development executives, we're not cookie-cutter douchebags that you plug into a preexisting model. TWD will suffer. Even zombies need consistency.Mad Men and Breaking Bad will be gone soon. So will AMC. I hope their ****ing stock takes a dive and the shareholders line up [AMC president and CEO Josh] Sapan, [AMC parent Cablevision founder Charles] Dolan and [AMC president and GM Charlie] Collier and shit in their open hands. Cunts."

I suppose he would know about all this....

[rgc2005]

Budget, Location Filming with a wildcat crew, and zero teen angst.
By all accounts I have read AMC cannot stand having the show filmed in rural Georgia and having their "Memos" ignored.
Add in the supposedly 'Racial' way they treated T-Dawg, Oscar and the introduction of Tyrese I would imagine AMC got nervous and called him on the carpet.
If someone were to really dig I bet we have the same AMC exec that pulled the plug on Frank D.

[joeharley666]

Budget, Location Filming with a wildcat crew, and zero teen angst.
By all accounts I have read AMC cannot stand having the show filmed in rural Georgia and having their "Memos" ignored.
Add in the supposedly 'Racial' way they treated T-Dawg, Oscar and the introduction of Tyrese I would imagine AMC got nervous and called him on the carpet.
If someone were to really dig I bet we have the same AMC exec that pulled the plug on Frank D.

Did I miss something? What was racial about TDogg? They're grasping at straws then

- - - Updated - - -


Budget, Location Filming with a wildcat crew, and zero teen angst.
By all accounts I have read AMC cannot stand having the show filmed in rural Georgia and having their "Memos" ignored.
Add in the supposedly 'Racial' way they treated T-Dawg, Oscar and the introduction of Tyrese I would imagine AMC got nervous and called him on the carpet.
If someone were to really dig I bet we have the same AMC exec that pulled the plug on Frank D.

Did I miss something? What was racial about TDogg? They're grasping at straws then

[ProfessorChaos]

Kurt Sotter(Sons of Anarchy Showrunner) during Darabont's departure: "No one else wants to ****ing say it, but the greed of Mad Men is killing the other two best shows on TV -- Breaking Bad and Walking Dead,"

Kurt Sotter after yesterday's news:"AMC is run by small-minded, bottom-line thinkers who have no appreciation or gratitude for the effort of its creative personnel," Sutter wrote. "Time and time again we see events like what happened today with Glen Mazzara. They continue to disrespect writers, shit on their audience and bury their network. Mazzara took the work-in-progress that wasWalking Dead" and turned it into a viable TV show with a future. Without him, that future is dim. Showrunners are not development executives, we're not cookie-cutter douchebags that you plug into a preexisting model. TWD will suffer. Even zombies need consistency.Mad Men and Breaking Bad will be gone soon. So will AMC. I hope their ****ing stock takes a dive and the shareholders line up [AMC president and CEO Josh] Sapan, [AMC parent Cablevision founder Charles] Dolan and [AMC president and GM Charlie] Collier and shit in their open hands. Cunts."

I suppose he would know about all this....

that's very insightful and quite revealing. i recall the contract negotiaitions for mad men getting kinda ugly, and thinking to myself then that the network was starting to get too damn greedy and controlling. add in all the total bullshit "reality" shows they've recently added (small-town security, the pitch, comic book men, freakshow, etc), and i've just about lost all respect for the network.

AMC used to be hands down the best network on television. i'm pretty concerned about where all their great original shows are heading. i'm glad that breaking bad is ending this summer, even though it's one of my favorite shows. the story of walter has just about run its course and it'd be great for this stellar show to go out on top. also, i don't want to see the show influenced by these clowns running this ship into the ground. mad men totally sucked over the last two seasons, i've pretty much wrote that show off. however, the walking dead and hell on wheels are both shows i enjoy and i really hate to see the shows themselves suffer due to the incompetence of some greedy ass-clowns.

in my opinion, this is not good news concerning mazzara. while i enjoyed the first season and the beginning of season two, i feel the show really found its stride with mazarra at the helm since the last part of season two. cutting ties with him may eventually prove to be a wise move, but i can't really see it that way at the moment.

[facestabber]

I will go on record as being concerned/disappointed. As Minion stated above, probably not worth worrying about at this point sighting Durabont's departure. But I can't help but be upset about this. This show is rolling on all cylinders at this point and this tells me that there are some behind the scenes issues. That usually is never a good thing. Alot of quality shows have been ruined by suits that think they know more than they do.

Mazarra is leaving a show that is red hot which tells me AMC is screwing with stuff. Bad thing is if Glen had a good relationship with the actors on the show we may start getting more defections similar to Demumm(sp) I guess I need to go back to positive thinking lessons.

[MinionZombie]

Of course, Gale Anne Hurd and Kirkman are tough cookies, so they'll be fighting for the purity of the show. Indeed, I'd wager that the cast and crew would band together to fight against a tough situation.

I would really like to know what these "creative differences" were/are though - not knowing leaves it open to total speculation and fan fear. :(

[bassman]

I would really like to know what these "creative differences" were/are though - not knowing leaves it open to total speculation and fan fear. :(

I think it's safe to say "creative differences" is just a cover for money issues. Several other showrunners/producers have posted on Twitter and the like that AMC's heads are notoriously impossible to deal with and pinch pennies at every opportunity. Even for the highest rated show of all time.

Like Prof mentioned, with Breaking Bad ending this year, the continuing addition of poor reality shows, and these reports of AMC's stupidity, I think the network is circling the drain at this point. Unfortunately that means that TWD will start to suffer. Oh well....at least we got three good seasons. In the nineties we would have all laughed at the mention of a good zombie tv series breaking records....

[kidgloves]

I think it's safe to say "creative differences" is just a cover for money issues. Several other showrunners/producers have posted on Twitter and the like that AMC's heads are notoriously impossible to deal with and pinch pennies at every opportunity. Even for the highest rated show of all time.

Like Prof mentioned, with Breaking Bad ending this year, the continuing addition of poor reality shows, and these reports of AMC's stupidity, I think the network is circling the drain at this point. Unfortunately that means that TWD will start to suffer. Oh well....at least we got three good seasons. In the nineties we would have all laughed at the mention of a good zombie tv series breaking records....

^^^^^^^^^^^^^
This

[bassman]

Something that just crossed my mind....

It would make sense for them to promote someone currently working on the show into the showrunner position. While he may not know everything about running the production of a show, isn't heavily involved with the writing, and it's his first show(I think), Nicotero has really risen through the ranks since the show began. What are the chances that he ends up replacing Mazzara? It's an extremely long shot, I know, just throwing it out there.

[ProfessorChaos]

^

interesting theory, bassman. i could actually get behind a move like that. it would make a lot of sense, too.

[Craig]

This is why we can't have nice things...

Executives and money-men messing around (unlikely for the good) with another of my much loved things - I'm only 21 and I'm starting to find this sort of news physically tiring.
At least this series has been fantastic so far.

[MinionZombie]

It's like we TWD fans aren't allowed to just sit back and relax as we watch our show unfold. No, we have to have these behind-the-scenes stresses that get us fans all hopped up in a worry - I want the drama on the screen, not behind it.

Nicotero as a possible showrunner - interesting - although with the FX, producing, and directing certain episodes on his plate, I don't know if that'd be a bit too much in one go. Hmmm...

Perhaps Kirkman could take over as showrunner? Then again, he's got on-going comic books to write every month as well as various other duties. Yeah, it should definitely be someone 'on the inside' as they already know the vibe of the show both on and off screen. I just dearly hope whoever lands the job is as attentive and observant as Mazzara. When I listen to him/read what he has said when he approaches the writing of the show, it's impressive. He knows/knew how to freshen up established ideas as well as manipulate and pace the drama.

[Neil]

Have to say, I've not been overly impressed with Nicotero's directing. Anyone else?

[sandrock74]

I don't think that Kirkman taking over as showrunner is realistic. He's got two monthly comicbooks to write (The Walking Dead and Invincible) and he's been promoted to replace Jim Lee in the Image Comics founders hierarchy...the dude has a full plate as it is, without taking on another full-time job. There's only so many hours in a day, you know?

If AMC has a say in Mazzara's replacement, it will most likely be someone of their choosing, someone who will work for whatever price they offer, as well as being subservient to the network; thats just how the business world is run.

[MinionZombie]

Have to say, I've not been overly impressed with Nicotero's directing. Anyone else?

The only real area that needs to be improved is the staging certain of certain scenes/events, as well as an attention to detail - and in the case of 3x05, making sure the script isn't too long before you shoot, thus ending up with having to make extensive trims to fit it into the running time, thus causing narrative plot holes/general gaps.

Apart from that he's solid.

Ernest Dickerson (3x01) though, I'd say he's the best TWD director out of them all. :)

[bassman]

Yeah, next to Darabont's pilot, Dickerson has directed the best episodes.

[JonOfTheShred]

Kurt Sutter is the frickin' man. Not only do I love "Sons of Anarchy," but I respect the hell out of his tenacity. Kurt Sutter speaks his mind, and just doesn't give a fuck.

Notice how Kurt differentiates from Paul W. S. Anderson? One is a good writer, the other sucks. ;) Namely, notice how different they treat their wives. Paul W. S. Anderson makes his wife Mila Jovovich the fucking Terminator, the Mary Sue to end all Mary Sues, effectively ruining any chance of Resident Evil being a good movie series. On the other hand, Kurt Sutter treats Gemma on Sons of Anarchy like shit - she isn't always 100% fault-free. She might even be the most vile, manipulative character on the show. And the says great deals about each writers integrity. Namely, that Kurt Sutter is way more bad-ass and far more talented, while Paul W. S. is just giving his wife unnecessary pats on the back.

Mad Mens greed really is killing the Walking Dead. I'm still pissed off about the Season 2 premier that Darabont had planned getting canned. I get the feeling that Darabonts intention with that canned episode was to completely blow the pilot out of the water.

[bassman]

Mad Mens greed really is killing the Walking Dead. I'm still pissed off about the Season 2 premier that Darabont had planned getting canned. I get the feeling that Darabonts intention with that canned episode was to completely blow the pilot out of the water.

It can't possibly blow the pilot out of the water, but those deleted scenes are available on the season two dvd/bluray set(youube, as well). What's surprising is that those "unwatchable" scenes have been met with positive reaction...

[MinionZombie]

It can't possibly blow the pilot out of the water, but those deleted scenes are available on the season two dvd/bluray set(youube, as well). What's surprising is that those "unwatchable" scenes have been met with positive reaction...

I know, that really confused me - the deleted scenes were good - although not everything was included, rather annoyingly.

[aaron2]

This makes me sad to hear this! Mazzara really brought some brightness to the show but now i am in a mess how would it be without Mazzara:rockbrow:

[JonOfTheShred]

It can't possibly blow the pilot out of the water, but those deleted scenes are available on the season two dvd/bluray set(youube, as well). What's surprising is that those "unwatchable" scenes have been met with positive reaction...

Really? They have deleted scenes from the "Man in the tank with the grenade fighting through the initial outbreak" abandoned storyline?!

[bassman]

Really? They have deleted scenes from the "Man in the tank with the grenade fighting through the initial outbreak" abandoned storyline?!

Oh, I thought you meant the half episode that was lost when they combined episodes 201 and 202. No, Darabont's "black hawk down with zombies" was never written, let alone filmed. It was a nifty idea, but I doubt it would have ever happened anyway. The actor that leaked that concept probably just took a passing idea from Darabont a bit too seriously. Darabont was still the showrunner at the time season two began filming, so he obviously didn't intend on making the tank story be the season premiere.

[JonOfTheShred]

Oh, I thought you meant the half episode that was lost when they combined episodes 201 and 202. No, Darabont's "black hawk down with zombies" was never written, let alone filmed. It was a nifty idea, but I doubt it would have ever happened anyway. The actor that leaked that concept probably just took a passing idea from Darabont a bit too seriously. Darabont was still the showrunner at the time season two began filming, so he obviously didn't intend on making the tank story be the season premiere.

I hope they eventually do a Walking Dead prequel movie, the "Black Hawk Down with zombies" premise. Set in the outbreak, have the tension build throughout, end with a huge 'action' set piece, but really play up the horror and dread of initially discovering the outbreak. Robert Kirkman said something along the lines of "We've seen to many STHF movies in the genre" and I couldn't disagree more. No movie focuses 100% of its effort in the 'SHTF' moments. Dawn of the Dead definitely shows a huge chunk of that, with the look into the news station (such a brilliant idea to start the movie, especially when it's followed by the apartment sequence) but it settles down to post-apocalyptic for the majority of its run-time. Same thing with the remake, which had like 5 minutes of the initial apocalypse then the rest was post-apocalyptic. Shaun of the Dead seems to be the only recent movie where you get to see the initial outbreak, and they do it so clever and understated, slowly ramping up the tension throughout the movie. I want to see more of THAT. Hell, I wish Simon Pegg and Nick Frost would make a full Shaun trilogy, all based in the zombie genre. (No Vampires, no werewolves...they clearly love zombies, more of that would be great.)

Frank Darabont should even direct the movie, give his concept justice. But AMC appear to be very stingy with the Walking Dead, and that's a shame, because when a show is THIS successful it should be given free-reign to do anything, be given a charitable increase to its budget, and the makers of the TV should feel encouraged by the network to push the limits of TV in all areas.

[babomb]

Although this season has been really good so far, and I don't really expect that to change with the next half. There are some aspects of it that are concerning. Which could have alot to do with this.
For 1, they're packing too much into each episode, and putting too much emphasis on certain aspects that have little to do with the overall story or concept of the series. Like the Andrea/Governor story arc, that takes up far too much screen time and will never come together in a way that justifies that much screen time.
My point is that this could be a sign of too much meddling by AMC, too much focus on appealing to the daytime drama crowd. There's a real good possibility that the direction that AMC wants the show to go in is too much of a compromise for some people involved. That seems to already be going on to some degree.

I see a push for reduced violence in media coming. It's being talked about alot. Not that it's a bad thing in theory, but the application of such a theory is another story. It's like the difference in watching the edited version of a film as opposed to the unedited. I've seen a couple news stories on violence in media, and TWD was mentioned in 1 of them, even showed a clip.

[Mr_Shadow]

Why 'The Walking Dead' Killed Off Its Latest Showrunner

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/walking-dead-why-glen-mazzara-410017


When a network fires two showrunners in less than 18 months from its biggest hit -- and one of the most successful franchises on television -- that is sure to make waves in Hollywood and with fans. So no matter how AMC tried to spin the Dec. 21 departure of Glen Mazzara from The Walking Dead as just one of those amicable things, insiders rolled their eyes -- especially because the network let go co-creator Frank Darabont in July 2011 and has had high-profile spats with writer-producers on its hits Mad Men and Breaking Bad.

AMC and Walking Dead comic book writer and producer Robert Kirkman were blamed for Mazzara's ouster and called out by name by showrunners Shawn Ryan (Last Resort) and Kurt Sutter (Sons of Anarchy), neither of whom is involved with Walking Dead but both of whom worked with Mazzara on Ryan's FX series The Shield. Ryan tweeted, "It's a real question now why good showrunners should sell to AMC," and Sutter followed with a tweet declaring that AMC had sent him "a gift basket filled with … broken promises and the marinated tongue used to lick Kirkman's ass."

In a follow-up video posted on his website, Sutter denounced AMC for departing from a cable culture that generally allows showrunners more creative freedom than do the broadcast networks. Kirkman, he added, "is an amazing visual artist and a graphic artist [but] knows very little about TV, and the reins keep going back to him in this process, and he doesn't know how to run a show."

Several insiders confirm that Kirkman, whose detailed graphic novels form the basis of the series, is "very proprietary," as one puts it. One adds, "I believe Robert wants to maintain a certain amount of his control, and AMC needs Robert for the fan base." But despite the vitriol, some sources involved with Walking Dead say Kirkman was one of several producers on the show who had issues with Mazzara and his vision.

One source says Mazzara's shortcomings in running the series during the most recent third season became "abundantly clear … especially for the second half of the season." This source says production was shut down "several times" because of a lack of material.

Mazzara declined comment but will participate in a Jan. 11 AFI awards luncheon that will honor Walking Dead as one of 2012's top shows. The midseason finale Dec. 2 lured 10.5 million total viewers and 6.9 million in the key adults 18-to-49 demo, crushing nearly all broadcast network shows.

To date, Kirkman has responded to the criticism only with a restrained tweet: "@sutterink is brilliant and Sons is my favorite show on TV. Still, it's upsetting to see him ranting about things he knows nothing about." AMC declined comment.

[Neil]

^^ "especially for the second half of the season." This source says production was shut down "several times" because of a lack of material.

That doesn't sound good!

[EvilNed]

Not too bummed. TWD is good, but only Season 1 was great.

[MinionZombie]

Attention AMC: Stop pissing about with our favourite show ffs.

I've said it before, but I'll say it again, it's as if we're not allowed to just sit back and enjoy our TWD. We have to go through all this fan worry and behind-the-scenes turmoil, and because you never get the full story behind these sorts of events, you never know what to think about anyone involved. So stop buggering about, AMC, for crying out loud! :mad:

[shootemindehead]

A lack of material?

There's bleedin years of material already written in the comics and it's a damn sight better than ANYTHING that's been written for the TV show so far.

If they're really trying to say that there's a "lack" of material, they're not even trying.

Get your feckin act together.

[Revil3000]

Something that just crossed my mind....

It would make sense for them to promote someone currently working on the show into the showrunner position. While he may not know everything about running the production of a show, isn't heavily involved with the writing, and it's his first show(I think), Nicotero has really risen through the ranks since the show began. What are the chances that he ends up replacing Mazzara? It's an extremely long shot, I know, just throwing it out there.

I think Greg would fit perfectly. I wonder if the next show runner will try to swing it back toward the comic book or just stay the way it is heading. I'm expecting a mess by the beginning of season 4.

[facestabber]

AMC has a gem fall into their lap and just can't leave well enough alone. If this show tanks I'm gonna be pissed beyond eternity.

[MinionZombie]

Aye, the "lack of material" thing doesn't really make sense - you'd think there'd be plenty to fill 8 episodes, seeing as the Ricktatorship and Woodbury haven't even come face-to-face yet, we've just got Tyreese & Co in on the act, Andrea is yet to return to our gang, etc etc etc.

I have felt that some episodes have definitely tried to cram too much into an episode. 3x05 was a prime example (there were numerous cut scenes due to time constraints), and yet in spite of that the quality of the content was still very high indeed - far higher than many shows out there.

In terms of Kirkman, well, he's said many times in the past that he wants to change things up from the comics - follow the main thread (naturally) and change things along the way, time certain people or events differently etc. It also gives them the opportunity to better explore characters (e.g. Shane, or The Governor) far more than they ever got in the comics (although with side-publications we've had much more of The Governor since his original run in the comics).

As for Kurt Sutter - while I don't watch SoA, I've heard it's very good, and I do wonder if there's an element of him putting his dealings with AMC onto this situation without actually being involved in this particular situation himself. So that's unfair, but on the other hand he is totally legit in saying that clearly there's some people high up in AMC who are fucking morons - there's been high profile clashes with Mad Men, Breaking Bad, and The Walking Dead - all hugely popular shows that have given AMC far greater stock than they ever had. I'm half-expecting a bust-up on Hell On Wheels next. :rolleyes:

The writer/showrunner should definitely be king on these kinds of shows/productions. Naturally they have to be good enough - they can't be delivering garbage or content that's not fit for broadcast - but providing they have talent and people like their stuff, they should be left alone to run their show and produce great television. You hire creative people for the creative stuff, all the money men have to do is pay up a reasonable amount of cash for it and then do what they do best - market it globally - and then take that profit and invest it into more shows where they hire creative people to provide them with new strong content that, again, the big wigs can do what they do best with after-it's-produced: market it globally.

[Neil]

Aye, the "lack of material" thing doesn't really make sense - you'd think there'd be plenty to fill 8 episodes, seeing as the Ricktatorship and Woodbury haven't even come face-to-face yet, we've just got Tyreese & Co in on the act, Andrea is yet to return to our gang, etc etc etc.
Might be one thing to have the raw material(s), but maybe they simply weren't available at the right times? eg: Finished scripts/story board ready for shooting etc...

[krisvds]

The writer/showrunner should definitely be king on these kinds of shows/productions. Naturally they have to be good enough - they can't be delivering garbage or content that's not fit for broadcast - but providing they have talent and people like their stuff, they should be left alone to run their show and produce great television. You hire creative people for the creative stuff, all the money men have to do is pay up a reasonable amount of cash for it and then do what they do best - market it globally - and then take that profit and invest it into more shows where they hire creative people to provide them with new strong content that, again, the big wigs can do what they do best with after-it's-produced: market it globally.

Exactly. It's a bit like american cinema going into the eighties. Blockbusters galore and every 'auteur' exiled to purely arthouse cinemas. What was considered mainstream cinema back in the days was less an insult to your intelligence than what's running in the cinemas nowadays. The more the money guys started meddling with the creative side of things to protect their investments the staler fare we got. I fear that's the situation over at AMC. The more money a show starts making the more they fuck it up so to speak.

It also feels as if our favourite zombie show has too many godfathers overlooking it: The showrunner, the marketing boys, Kirkman ... The three parties don't mix too well. They should find someone with a real knowledge of and affinity for the source material in particular and the genre in general and just let him/her run with it.

[bassman]

Scott Gimple is the new showrunner. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/walking-dead-showrunner-scott-gimple-glen-mazzara-406144

[Revil3000]

Scott Gimple is the new showrunner. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/walking-dead-showrunner-scott-gimple-glen-mazzara-406144

I am happy with Scott as show runner as long as you-know-who loses you-know-what before this season ends. I stopped reading the comics a little after this point in the story so I would like to see what they keep doing differently from the books. I am going to go back and compare them after this season ends. I know many things have changed, but I am good with that so far.

Okay, I'm tired...

[MinionZombie]

Well with Gimple having been Mazzara's No. 2 guy, then I'm happy with him taking over as showrunner. Hopefully he'll give us great episodes like the back-half of season two and the front-half of season three ... and here's hoping that the back-half of season three doesn't see a drop in quality either. After such a cracking start (albeit in places a little too brisk), it'd be a right old bummer to see the show slide in quality ... however, despite rumoured problems in production, I'm thinking positive about the remaining episodes.

Here's hoping for a smooth and successful transition when season four rolls around.

[bassman]

I am happy with Scott as show runner as long as you-know-who loses you-know-what before this season ends.

Kirkman confirmed many moons ago that this won't happen in the television series.



Just a bit of a goof, but I had a chuckle when it occured to me that in just two years this show went from being run by the guy that wrote The Shawshank Redemption....to the guy that wrote Ghost Rider 2. Yikes. :lol:

[AcesandEights]

in just two years this show went from being run by the guy that wrote The Shawshank Redemption....to the guy that wrote Ghost Rider 2. Yikes. :lol:

That is not amusing, Bass! :lol:

[MinionZombie]

I've not seen Ghost Rider 2, but to be fair to him his work on TWD has been solid, in addition to being a producer since 2011, he's written some excellent episodes.

Save The Last One - where Shane shoots Otis.
Pretty Much Dead Already - where undead Sophia is discovered in the zombie barn.
18 Miles Out - where Rick & Shane almost repair their friendship in the process of taking Randall out far enough.
Hounded - Rick on the phone like a nutter, Michonne taking on Merle & Co in the woods ... ... a good episode, but generally weaker than the above three.

And he's got another one coming up in the back-half of season three.

So in terms of his TWD work he's solid.

...

You know, when season three got off to such a cracking start, I had this thought in the back of my head, a brief flash of a "what if", and that was "blimey, this is good telly, what if AMC got rid of Mazzara and we had to get a third showrunner within two years?" ... and then that happened. I do hope that AMC and everyone else realise that this is a bit silly and do everything they can to not make it a fourth showrunner by the middle/end of season four! :|

[MinionZombie]

6VillpEWw8I

The latest teaser for the return of TWD - looks downright tasty. :)

[Neil]

^ No! Not going to watch it! Must resist!

[rongravy]

Er mah gherd.
Hurry up, mid February!!!

[MinionZombie]

^ No! Not going to watch it! Must resist!

http://blog.nj.com/entertainment_impact_tv/2009/04/large_breakingbad-breakage.jpg

Go on, you know you want to, just a little peek to tide you over, yo. :elol:


Er mah gherd.
Hurry up, mid February!!!

Darn tootin!

[Moon Knight]

Looks frakin' great.

[zomtom]

Two weeks can't get here soon enough. I am obsessed with this show and I have been jonesing for far too long.

[bassman]

Two weeks can't get here soon enough. I am obsessed with this show and I have been jonesing for far too long.

The comics are a great way to pass the time if you haven't read them already. They're even better than the show. :)

[Neil]

http://uk.ign.com/articles/2013/01/29/dont-ask-me-glen-mazzara-on-his-departure-from-the-walking-dead?abthid=51082fec36fc58d34900000e


Mazzara appeared on a panel alongside Lost’s Damon Lindelof at the NATPE/Content First Conference this week where, as Deadline reports, he briefly commented on the controversy, essentially directing reporters to speak with AMC if they want definitive answers. “When people involved with the show are looking at the long-term plan, you know, they want something different. And what those differences are, you’d have to ask AMC,” Mazzara said.

Adding, “I was a hired gun coming in to support the creator of the show and, through odd circumstances, I ended up becoming the showrunner. I was just glad that I was able to contribute and not mess up the show, I see that as a win.”

[Thorn]

I think it's safe to say "creative differences" is just a cover for money issues. Several other showrunners/producers have posted on Twitter and the like that AMC's heads are notoriously impossible to deal with and pinch pennies at every opportunity. Even for the highest rated show of all time.

Like Prof mentioned, with Breaking Bad ending this year, the continuing addition of poor reality shows, and these reports of AMC's stupidity, I think the network is circling the drain at this point. Unfortunately that means that TWD will start to suffer. Oh well....at least we got three good seasons. In the nineties we would have all laughed at the mention of a good zombie tv series breaking records....

I hear you, and call me an optomist but I just never push the panic button in these situations. People freaked when Frank left and we were fine.

[MinionZombie]

A brief few words on season 4:
http://dailydead.com/robert-kirkman-and-gale-anne-hurd-comment-on-the-walking-dead-season-4/


Robert Kirkman stressed that the series will continue to include major parts of the comic book series in the fourth season:

“We’ve always been sort of moving in and out of the comic book, and I think that we’re going to continue to do that. I think that there are huge elements of the comic book in Season 3. Moving into Season 4, it’s going to be pretty much the same…”

It’s a little early to know what’s in store for the Woodbury and prison groups in the season finale, but one thing Gale Anne Hurd says we can expect from Season 4 is an increased walker threat:

“We are going to amp up the threat of the walkers, because they’ve started to seem like a manageable threat. They are not a manageable threat…”

Every showrunner is going to have a different approach to material, and we may see a fourth season that more closely resembles Frank Darabont’s work on Season 1. Gale Anne Hurd mentioned that Gimple’s previous character-driven work should give us an idea of his Season 4 approach:

“He’s very character-driven; he wrote the episode where Sofia comes out of the barn, he wrote [the Season 3 episode] ‘Clear,’ so you get his voice.”

I like the sound of these snippets, albeit brief. The characters are the heart of the show and it's important to maintain that - Gimple has written some excellent character-centric episodes (including 3x12), and I'm looking forward to keeping that going through season 4. Season 3 has definitely been more about fearing the living, so it'll be interesting to mix in a little more threat from the walkers as yeah, it's probably a fair point to say that - at times - the walker threat has been dealt with relatively easy ... ... but the threat has also definitely been strong at other times (T-Dog, Hershel's leg, etc). Hopefully they'll get a good mix in season 4, but it only requires a small tweak compared to season 3, which hasn't been problematic in general.

[Wyldwraith]

Ya know,
No one seems to want to outright call the guy on the carpet, but Kirkman himself in all probability bears a HUGE portion of the blame for the behind-the-scenes problems. Think about it. Let's say AMC is wanting to say, can a showrunner because they don't want to spend as much $$ as said showrunner wishes to spend, or any other issue on which the AMC execs and the showrunner don't see eye to eye on....then Kirkman, even if for a completely different and unrelated reason expresses some problem/conflict/dissatisfaction with said showrunner to AMC. Kirkman being Kirkman, he's essentially then opened the door for the AMC execs to pounce...because they can then immunize themselves from responsibility by pointing to Kirkman's wishes in the matter...and because he created TWD he's too sacred a cow to be held as accountable for his actions as anyone else involved with the series.

I'm positive the situation is more complex than that...but just saying that if Kirkman gives his controlling mindset free rein it's a trait that can be manipulated by those who care about nothing but bottom lines and control. Ie: AMC suits.

[kidgloves]

More details about Mazzara's exit and the production problems

http://insidetv.ew.com/2013/04/01/the-walking-dead-dallas-roberts-milton-andrea/

***N.B. Interview contains major spoilers for 3x16 "Welcome to the Tombs" - MZ***


EW: So how and when did they break the news to you about Milton going down? I’m assuming showrunner Glen Mazzara gave you the call.
ROBERTS: It was in the fall. They had shut down production for a week or 10 days to retool the third to the last episode so I was back in New York City at the time and the phone rang from Glen. I wasn’t surprised by it, and then he told me how it was going to happen, which varied a bit from what you saw.

EW: Yeah, I know you guys originally shot a much different version of this whole scene. Walk me through how it was originally shot.
ROBERTS: Originally, the beating scene that started the episode wasn’t there. Originally, I showed up and was led into the room where Andrea was and I took the tools out – the instruments of torture that were laid on the table — and then he shot me in the stomach, completely unexpectedly. And then I was left to bleed out in the same idea basically — you’re going to kill her now. There was a lot more of Milton trying to open the door and him trying to free her from the chains. And then there was a section where he was going to wrap the chain around the neck and try to choke her to death before he turned so she wouldn’t have to deal with Walker Milton, or Biter Milton, as it were.

And then at the end of that, it was just Tyrese and someone else who found her. Rick and Daryl and Michonne weren’t there. So it was essentially the same idea, except you saw me taking chunks out of Laurie Holden in that version. And then they called us back a few months later to reshoot it and made all those changes. So now you’re not sure if I’ve gotten her until after that door opens, and I think that’s probably why they did it.

EW: So they actually shot the scene of you as a zombie biting into her?
ROBERTS: Yeah. It’s funny, in the articles and on Talking Dead last night, you’ll notice stills of Milton where he has glasses on [Ed Note: See picture above!]. They are from the scenes that we shot and weren’t aired. Because Milton gets his glasses knocked off and never has glasses in the interrogation scene in this finale. But I’ve seen a lot of pictures where Milton has blood on his mouth and glasses on that were from that first shooting.

EW: So tell me about the part where you were trying to strangle her.
ROBERTS: They both desperately wanted for that to work but at that point he had bled out so much. So he pulls and pulls and pulls but he doesn’t get it done and he falls against the wall and is passed out. And he never comes back from that until he turns into a walker.

EW: When you came back to do the reshoot, was that after Glen Mazzara had moved off the show?
ROBERTS: Yes, it was after he and AMC had decided to part, but he was still theoretically in charge of the back half of the season. I didn’t see him there. I don’t know if we was in L.A. pulling those strings. Scott Gimple, who ended up taking the showrunner position, was there, so some of those changes may have come from him.

[MinionZombie]

Interesting stuff...

Particularly that the production shut-down was during 3x14 - the weakest episode of the season. That makes sense.

I think the re-tooled version of the scene between Milton and Andrea is decidedly better than what they originally had in mind.

[MinionZombie]

Kirkman on some of where they're planning to go with season 4:

http://dailydead.com/new-details-on-the-walking-dead-season-4-from-robert-kirkman/


As mentioned recently, David Morrissey is back as a series regular in the fourth season. Here’s what Robert Kirkman told IGN about The Governor: “Yeah, he’s still very much in the mix. That’s certainly not the last that we’ll see of him. When we see him again and where we see him again, that’s the big question. It’s not going to be like it was in Season 3; it’s not going to be Rick and the Governor on a collision course with a conflict between them. He’ll be used in very different ways next season.”

We’ll see a different Carl and Rick in Season 4: “Rick has had a success. The people at the prison have survived this conflict with the Governor, he brought people from Woodbury into the prison, and he’s kind of had this big win. He’s had this moment where he’s brought people together and he’s doing good things. But he’s had this tremendous loss in that Carl has lost this piece of his humanity. This has been Rick’s main mission throughout the show, to protect his family. We’ve seen two very big failures on that front this season.

Moving into next season, we’re going to see a very different Rick, but one of his main goals is to manage this situation with Carl and see if he can bring him back from this darkness that’s crept into him. Whether or not he’s able to do that, we’ll have to see. But this is a big change in the character of Carl, but it’s something that’s going to be weighing heavily on Rick next season.”

Although it seemed very likely, Robert Kirkman confirmed that the new season will take place at the prison once again: “I’ll say that there are a lot of familiar elements that are remaining. Michonne is still around, Rick and his group are still in the prison, the Governor’s still out there… so there are a lot of things that are carrying over from Season 3 to Season 4, but I can’t stress how different things are going to be.

There are going to be some radical changes to those elements that are going to bring in a lot of new storytelling. While [Season 4] does seem somewhat familiar, it’s going to be vastly different from Season 3.”

*Tagged for anyone who is yet to see the season 3 finale*

[babomb]

I sure hope it's vastly different from season 3!!

I hope it's darker, and more bleak in nature, to accurately reflect the world and the situation they're in. More survival oriented, with well thought out foraging missions and more realism. More struggle to achieve simple goals. With Carl just flat out getting shit done the right way. We need some real hard asses in the show, not overly scripted psychos like the Gov. People like Merle and carl, or dare I say Shane. People who know what it takes to survive and aren't overly burdened with moral conflict and inner turmoil over doing those things.
A wider assortment of locations and dire situations. More hand to hand combat with walkers.

Ultimately though, I'd be happy with just more realism throughout the entire spectrum of events.

[MinionZombie]

Gale Anne Hurd on season 3 and a touch on season 4:

http://dailydead.com/exclusive-gale-anne-hurd-looks-back-at-the-walking-dead-season-3-talks-season-4-and-beyond/


We saw some pretty big and surprising character deaths this season. Having worked with some of these actors from the very beginning, is it as difficult for you to see them go as it is fans of the series?

Gale Anne Hurd: It’s terribly difficult. It’s such a close-knit group of people. Since we cast these actors, it’s been very tough on all of us who have been there from the beginning. But the show, like the comic book, loses some very important characters along the way.

In terms of scale, Season 3 is a big set up from the second season. The first Season 3 episode, in particular, seemed like a hugely ambitious episode. Did your experience on feature films help in this regard?

Gale Anne Hurd: All of us involved have a lot of feature experience, including our line producer, Tom Luse. As with everything on the show, it’s a group effort. We tend to be very optimistic about what we can achieve and we’d rather go for it than regret it later on. Luckily AMC trusts us enough and they let us dive right in.

Looking back at Season 3 as a whole, what are some of your favorite on-set memories?

Gale Anne Hurd: I think the first time the cast arrived on the prison set will always be embedded in my mind. We told them by phone or email that we were transforming the studio where we were based into the prison set, but they just couldn’t imagine it. Then we walked them through the prison set, created by Grace Walker, and they were blown away. You felt like you were transported to an actual prison location and I’ll never forget that. They were probably fairly dubious that it would work, but it worked out perfectly.

I also think being on set when Hershel’s leg was chopped off was one of those things that I’ll never forget… [Laughs]

Scott M. Gimple has been announced as The Walking Dead Season 4′s showrunner. I felt that his episodes in Season 3, including Clear, had some of the better character scenes. Why are you excited to have him as the new showrunner?

Gale Anne Hurd: Scott is someone that we’re all very lucky to be working with, and I think we would all feel a lot less comfortable with Glen moving on if Scott wasn’t there to fill his shoes. Scott is a genre fan, as I am, going back to his childhood. He likes elevated genre, character drive genre, and is always looking for a scene that resonates with the characters. He wrote the episode with Sofia coming out of the barn, and “Clear,” where we see the return of Morgan and also see Michonne open up.

At the same time, he’s not afraid to do things that are incredibly traumatic for the character, like everyone reacting to Sofia coming out of the barn, and Rick having to shoot her down. So much of episode 12 takes place in Morgan’s apartment, but I don’t think anyone said it was too slow. There was the fantastic threat of the zombies at the cafe when they go to retrieve the photograph.

In recent interviews, you mentioned that the zombies will be a bigger threat in the upcoming season. Can you tell me more about what we can expect?

Gale Anne Hurd: Looking back at the season, as we always do before the start of the new season, it’s important to see what this world is that we’ve created and how it’s affecting our characters. We’ve come to realize that, yes the theme of the season was “fight the dead, fear the living,” but we got to the point where the dead didn’t seem to be a group we needed to fear. Truly they are and we need to make sure we don’t lose sight of the threat that they will pose.

When we talked before the start of Season 3, I mentioned that Glen Mazzara had a seven season outline planned, and you said that you thought it wasn’t nearly enough to cover all the material. Of course, nothing is set in stone for anything beyond Season 4, but would you like to see the show continue indefinitely with a rotating cast of characters over the years?

Gale Anne Hurd: As long as Robert Kirkman continues to outdo himself with the comics. He’s over 100 issues now, so I’m not really worried at all. Because we have an ensemble cast, there’s so many different character stories. Since you’re a fan of the comic, think about characters like Negan, Abraham, and the various preachers. There’s so much to explore that I think we’re bound to mine that rich deposit of characters and stories for many years to come. I think Robert feels the same way.

But we don’t want to do it if we can’t keep it fresh, exciting and character driven. Our cast is just as committed going into Season 4, which we start shooting next month, as they were when they started. Probably more so…

[Morto Vivente]

Glad to see Gale Anne Hurd mention that the undead will be making a come back in season 4. :D Although season 3 was primarily about how people can be a greater threat than the undead, and therefore they took a back seat, I was starting to miss our necrosis-challenged cousins.

[kidgloves]

For those who missed it the first time around here is a link for The Nerdist Writers Panel Season 2 review with Gimple, Mazzara and Kang. Interesting listen.

http://www.nerdist.com/2012/05/nerdist-writers-panel-38-the-walking-dead-season-two-in-review/

[facestabber]

Im with Babomb regarding darker. And survival. Though I enjoyed season 3 as a whole the best episodes have a theme to them. When they leave the safety and shelter of prison/woodbury. Since Dawn 78 we have all witnessed the scenario where we find the stronghold, fortify then hang around. I can forgive them for extending the prison set and getting as much use out of it as possible. Bang for your buck. But dont spend so much time shooting there. Clear worked in so many ways. It gave us viewers a break from the monotony and fresh territory to experience. I want new landscapes, new struggles, new fights. And more zombies. More zombies and more zombies. I want the threat of Walkers to re emerge.

I have scene directors speak about union rules in shooting film/ tv about unpaid extras and its a damn shame. The following that this show has could produce hundreds of fans ready to be back ground zombies on the hottest, muddiest, rainy days and not complain. I would donate my left nut to spend one day on and around the set.