On the set of AMC’s new show ‘Walking Dead’
June 14, 2010, by
AMC has been inviting media to check out production of its new show “Walking Dead,” based on the popular graphic novels. (No photos or video were allowed. The photo on the left was released and approved by AMC.)
We watched one scene from the first episode during a sweltering Monday afternoon in Grant Park right by the Atlanta Zoo. (You could faintly hear the lions.) The lead actor Andrew Lincoln plays cop Rick Grimes, who had just woken up from a coma and discovered the world had become populated with zombies. He arrives in his neighborhood and gets whacked in the head by a kid wielding a shovel. "I got the son of a bitch," the kid tells his dad, thinking he got a zombie. "I'm going to strike him dead!" Grimes does not die, of course. He's the lead character!
AMC signed on for a modest six episodes, which executive producer Frank Darabont ("Shawshank Redemption," "The Green Mile") told reporters today was more manageable than the usual 10 or 13.
“There’s a learning curve,” he said. “We’re getting the half measure to start. If I had to do 13, I’d be feeling a little overwhelmed. ”
The show began shooting in metro Atlanta on June 2 and will wrap in mid August. It’s set to debut in October.
This past weekend, “Walking Dead” shot in downtown Atlanta with a tank and dozens of zombies. Photos they previewed to us look pretty gruesome – in a good, horror-style way. They even had a “training school” for zombies, as this video shows:
On Tuesday, AMC released this photo of Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes, the lead character:
About the Author
Rodney Ho writes about entertainment for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution including TV, radio, film, comedy and all things in between. A native New Yorker, he has covered education at The Virginian-Pilot, small business for The Wall Street Journal and a host of beats at the AJC over 20-plus years. He loves tennis, pop culture & seeing live events.
