Originally posted Friday, September 27, 2019 by RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com on his AJC Radio & TV Talk blog
The Walker Stalker "Walking Dead" convention will continue to operate in the near future in Atlanta but creator James Frazier has decided to retire those held in other cities after 2020.
That includes Nashville, London, Chicago and New Jersey. Over the years, he has also held conventions in Germany and Australia.
Frazier was honest: the AMC drama isn’t nearly as popular as it was a few years ago and attendance at these conventions has gone down accordingly.
He said the peak year for his Atlanta convention was 2017 in terms of attendance with 60,000 total attendees.
Last year, about 22,000 a day came to the Atlanta convention. Frazier expects 16,000 a day next month for what will be his 70th convention in total. (Tickets here, ranging from $15 to $1,200)
Given that Atlanta is effectively the show’s hometown and the convention is held while filming is still happening, it makes it easier to get big names. And it’s still a profitable, viable convention for him.
For other cities starting in 2021, the conventions will be broader “Fan Fest” affairs with actors from a variety of shows without the primal focus of “The Walking Dead.”
For October 18-20 at Georgia World Congress Center, this year's Walker Stalker will feature a raft of "Walking Dead" cast, past and present. A sampling: Norman Reedus (arguably the show's most popular figure as Dary Dixon), Jeffrey Dean Morgan (Negan), Steven Yeun (Glenn), Michael Rooker (Merle), Samantha Morton (Alpha), Alanna Masterson (Tara), Michael Cudlitz (Abraham), Sara Wayne Callies (Lori), Chandler Riggs (Carl), Thora Birch (Gamma), Seth Gilliam (Father Gabriel), Christian Serratos (Rosita), Ryan Hurst (Beta), Greg Nicotero (director, producer), Cassady McClincy (Lydia), Cailey Fleming (Judith), Lauren Holden (Andrea).
Other non-"Dead" actors: Ric Flair, Jenna Elfman ("Dhama & Greg"), Neve Campbell ("Scream"), Matthew Lillard ("Scream," "Scooby Doo," "Good Girls"), Dylan McDermott ("The Practice," "American Horror Story"), Henry Ian Cusick ("Lost") and Donal Logue ("Gotham").
Frazier expects some "Game of Thrones" actors to be strong draws including Alife Allen (Theon) and Pilou Asbaek (Euron). And he is thrilled to have Campbell and Lillard come together for a "Scream" panel.
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