By RODNEY HO/ rho@ajc.com, originally filed Thursday, January 7, 2016
In 2011, "The Walking Dead" creator Frank Darabont was booted from the show in the middle of season two. It was clear at the time he had a dispute over budgets. Despite the runaway success of the drama, AMC wanted to cut how much he could spend.
Darabont has since sued for profits he says AMC has shielded from him. In blistering testimony that the Hollywood Reporter procured from his up-until-now sealed deposition, he painted an unflattering portrayal of AMC executives.
He said AMC actually cut the budget it was paying the production company from $3.4 million per episode to $3 million.
"That was bad enough, but then they dropped the bomb on us that, oh by the way, they're keeping the tax credit," he testified. "They're going to pocket the tax credit. So, between the two you've got a full 25 percent cut across the board."
And he had little respect for the AMC execs, saying they should have "put on some combat boots" to see the cast and crew working in 110-degree heat in Atlanta and "pick[ing]" ticks off their groin and their ankles at night."
Things got dicey during the shooting of the first episode of the second season, when Rick Grimes and the survivors were on the highway and Sophia got lost. He wasn't happy with the footage and said he needed some time to go to Atlanta and fix things, delaying scripts for later in the season. He said an AMC executive cleared him on this then denied that later.
He also said AMC "concocted" reasons to fire him. He had been entitled to 10 percent of the show's profits but was only given three quarters because he was let go partway through season two.
Glen Mazzara, the subsequent showrunner, agreed that Darabont's fingerprints were all over season two. Later, he did acknowledge that if Darabont had stayed on, he could have "killed" the show.
AMC released this statement in response to the Hollywood Reporter story:
"Frank Darabont has made it clear that he has strong opinions about AMC and the events that led to his departure from The Walking Dead. The reality is that he has been paid millions of dollars under the terms of his contract, which we honored, and we will continue to vigorously defend against this lawsuit."
The show has stabilized since season 4 with Scott Gimple as showrunner. It's currently in the middle of season 6 with the second half starting next month. Ratings are down slightly this year from a series peak in season 5. From a popularity and creative standpoint, the show probably has three or four seasons left. But it's unclear how long AMC will keep the show going.
Will they risk letting the show go downhill creatively before killing it or give Robert Kirkman & Co. the choice to close shop on their own volition as happened with "Lost," "Mad Men" or "Breaking Bad"?
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