The Walking Dead - Writers Not Fired

Fear not, 'Walking Dead' fans. Reports of the writing staff's demise earlier this week may have been exaggerated.

Executive producer Robert Kirkman, upon whose comic books the zombie drama is based, has spoken out about this week's news that showrunner Frank Darabont had apparently fired the entire writing staff..

Kirkman told tvguide.com that this week's report in deadline.com was "premature," and said "It's kind of unfortunate that it's being reported that our writing staff has been fired because that's not the case. ... It makes Frank look bad. I don't think Frank wants it out there that he's just firing people off of a successful show."

According to Kirkman, what really happened was that Darabont's "go-to guy," executive producer and writer Charles "Chic" Eglee ('Dexter,' 'Dark Angel') chose to leave the series after Darabont decided to stay on for Season 2. The original deal had been that Darabont would be showrunner for Season 1 and then move on, leaving room for Eglee to take over.


When Darabont changed his mind, however, and decided to stay put, Eglee quit. "Chic Eglee is a high-level television writer. He was brought onto 'The Walking Dead' with the idea that Frank was going to work on the first season and then go off and do movies," Kirkman says. "Chic didn't want to be second-in-command on a show when he's used to being a top dog, and so he decided to go off and do something else, which is something that happens and is not a big deal."

Kirkman says he's excited to continue working with Darabont, and credits him with creating a unique vision for the show. But what about reports that 'The Walking Dead' would be hiring-in freelance writers for Season 2? All Kirkman will say for now is that it's too soon to tell.

"It's a little premature to be nailing down. I don't know if it's going to be a freelance situation or if we're going to have writers in a writers' room," he said. "That's something that's being worked on now."

Source: TV Squad