The Walking Dead

Started by modage, July 22, 2010, 09:26:52 AM

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

MacGuffin

2011 Comic-Con: 'The Walking Dead' Unveils Season 2 Premiere Date, New Trailer, More
BY NELLIE ANDREEVA | Deadline

UPDATED: The second season of AMC's The Walking Dead will premiere on Oct. 16, the network announced at the top of the panel for the hit zombie drama at Comic-Con today. Once again, the premiere will coincide with AMC's popular marathon of thriller and horror films. At the panel, the network also unveiled a first-look, five-minute trailer for the 13-episode Season 2 of The Walking Dead (video below). During the Q&A session, Walking Dead writer-executive producer Darabont said that Season 2 "picks up about five seconds in an overlap with the first season's finale —so none of this bullsh-t 'six months later' stuff," according to our sister site TVLine, which covered the panel. Darabont also said that he had no problem finding new writers after most of the writing stuff from the first season was let go. "No, we've got people coming to the table going, 'Wow, we love this and we want to be a part of it,' and that's a really cool thing," he said. Asked about his dream casting on the show, executive producer Robert Kirkman, on whose comic the series is based, chanted, "Ed O'Neill, Ed O'Neill, and Ed O'Neill." If he is too busy with his hit comedy Modern Family, "My second go-to is John Stamos."



"Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art." - Andy Warhol


Skeleton FilmWorks

MacGuffin

'Walking Dead': AMC Execs Fly to Set, Fired Showrunner Frank Darabont Shops New Series (Exclusive)
Source: THR

AMC president Charlie Collier and head of original programming Joel Stillerman on Thursday flew to Atlanta for a one-day visit to the production offices of The Walking Dead, where they met with a cast and crew roiled by the abrupt firing of showrunner Frank Darabont.

Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, a source says Darabont is shopping an hour-long drama series that would mark his return to television. The unspecified project has attracted interest from more than one bidder.

Sources say the Walking Dead cast and crew have been unhappy since late July, when they were summoned to a lunch meeting with AMC vp scripted programming Ben Davis, who confirmed that Darabont was out. A source says some on the production of the hit zombie drama had been asking that Collier or another high-level AMC executive "go and own up to this, and they delayed for the last week." The network confirms to The Hollywood Reporter that Collier and Stillerman were on set on Thursday and returned to their New York offices the same day.

As reported by THR, many of those working on AMC's highest-rated show were dismayed after Darabont was dismissed following a July 22 promotional appearance at Comic-Con. One insider said the cast and crew were stunned "at the duplicity of AMC" for using Darabont to promote the show just before firing him.

There had been a significant cut in the per-episode budget imposed on the show's second season before it premiered last Halloween. Darabont's hopes that AMC would reconsider the depth of those cuts in light of the show's success were eventually dashed. There was also said to be tension between Darabont and Stillerman over AMC's cost-saving suggestions, including shooting more scenes indoors.

Since Darabont was fired, there has been chatter on the set about the cast and crew possibly staging a work stoppage in protest. The agencies representing the show's creative talent have urged them not to walk out, and no work stoppage has occurred.

The nature of Collier and Stillerman's interaction with the cast and crew is not known, nor is the involvement of Glen Mazzara, who took over as showrunner for Darabont.
"Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art." - Andy Warhol


Skeleton FilmWorks

polkablues

I don't know if anyone bothered to watch after the mediocrity that was most of the first season, but the season two premiere was pretty badass. It felt like the show that the pilot promised it would be, but hadn't delivered until now.
My house, my rules, my coffee

72teeth

Ahhhhg! I still have yet to see this, soley because i havent had the time to actually sit in the right atmosphere and watch... ive got monday off... ill be back on monday
Doctor, Always Do the Right Thing.

Yowza Yowza Yowza

Neil

I'm fully onboard for this show.  I thought the first season, though it has some problems, is a fantastic ride. 

Spoils

I'm not super concerned with the loose ends. It just feels like they are building up plot lines to me.

I haven't had repeat viewings of the episodes yet, so i don't really have anything to say about whether or not the show is good in repeat viewings, but I think it is a fantastic show.


RK, I was curious what was childish about it?

I like that the word 'zombie' has yet to come up. But I'm sure someone considers this obvious though.  I feel like this catches flack simply because the zombie criteria is not to be fucked with. In other words people view it under a zombi-fied lens. I can't really articulate that thought fully, but oh well.

There are parts that deal with leadership and keeping one's humanity which parallels lost IMO, and i enjoy those aspects, but i guess that is just a common theme within stuff like lord of the flies or castaway and other  situations involving the return to the state of nature and trying to rebuild a community.

I'm fully caught up, and i really loved the first 2 episodes of season 2.  I was about to explode with tears on several occasions and that shit with the mob on the interstate felt like it went on for 30 minutes. Find myself getting up from the couch to pace my living room, but instantly sit back down. Shit has me on edge.

it's not the wrench, it's the plumber.

polkablues

Nice little AMC crossover in this last episode: when Daryl pulls out his brother's drug stash, there's a big pile of blue meth at the bottom of the bag.

My house, my rules, my coffee

AntiDumbFrogQuestion

Quote from: polkablues on October 24, 2011, 10:29:31 PM
Nice little AMC crossover in this last episode: when Daryl pulls out his brother's drug stash, there's a big pile of blue meth at the bottom of the bag.



hahahah, classic!

I wish I liked this show better, though....

Jeremy Blackman

I just finished the first season, then watched the first episode of Season 2. I feel like everyone should just pretend this is Season 1 and we're starting over... it's so much better now, as Polka said.

I pretty much hated everything after the pilot and deeply resented the aggressive emotional manipulation that seemed to get more transparent and unintentionally funny with each episode. And yet, I kept watching, because the season was short, and because of the show's potential. Pretty much like this:

Quote from: polkablues on November 23, 2010, 10:16:25 AM
That's the conundrum of this show; I can't think of a previous instance where I liked a show as much despite so much consistently poor acting and sloppy writing.

The problem is that I'm going to have trouble getting into these characters after they've been massacred by the writing in the first season. Some of them are good, but some of them are cartoons. How does a show successfully rewrite its characters?

Also, Andrew Lincoln's acting continues to be a problem. A major problem. A very major problem. Is that not the most inept southern accent ever? I could tell when he uttered his first syllable. His wife's accent is also unconvincing, but at least she's a decent actor (crazy eyes aside).

diggler

The wife's crazy eyes in the opening credits continue to be the scariest thing about this show.  I agree there's something exciting about the whole thing, even though the more I think about the show the more problems I have with it. The major problem seems to be the lack of good characters.  Zombie movies are filled to the brim with selfish ass holes we can't wait to see get killed, only in this show they hang around for seasons at a time.

The new season has been a vast improvement so far.
I'm not racist, I'm just slutty

Jeremy Blackman

Just had an epiphany. Two of the main characters in this show look very similar to the main characters in Bones (not that I've watched more than one episode of that trash). See below. Not even sure I need to name them.


AntiDumbFrogQuestion

after careful consideration, I really cannot stand 90% of this show.

Most of the characters and dialogue are flat and they act illogically.  Certain actors can bring their role to life and make them more likable, like Jeffery DeMunn.  Overall the cast seems to have little chemistry onscreen.  It seems as if the writers want something to happen so they just put it in the script and don't think about why their characters would do this stuff.  It's like watching 14-year olds put on a play.
I never feel like any punches are going to be pulled on the show, and when they are, it's not often earned.  Points are repeated by characters as if we had forgotten them from earlier in the episode.

The cinematography is very good and there is always great suspense in every Zombie Attack scene.  There are some good shock moments.
But now I'm just watching the show to see if I'll ever embrace it, or even like it.  It's like when I was in 5th Grade and watching "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers" and just laughing at how bad it was, HOPING that Saban & Co. would somehow figure out how to make it more than just product.

Defend if you must.  I'm kind of done with thinking the show's gonna be worth my time.  Maybe we're just spoiled by "Breaking Bad" and "Mad Men" and other AMC shows with alliterated titles.

Jeremy Blackman

^ Totally agree with all of that. I was actually going to single out Jeffrey DeMunn as the best actor on the show (by quite a wide margin, actually) and as a result, his character is probably the best character.

I'm not totally caught up, so maybe this has changed... but I was really annoyed that they sort of abruptly dropped the duo thing that was developing between Rick and Glenn. Those two did have good chemistry. And Glenn could be a great character, by the way, but they've just left him sitting there doing nothing since... well, seems like forever.

And yet, I'm still watching the show. Like you said, it still has some great suspense scenes. And I'm a sucker for hyper-serialization.

Jeremy Blackman

I watched S2/E2. Just when I thought they had something going again, they defaulted back to crass emotional manipulation. It was the centerpiece of this episode. Also, more clumsy, transparent "character building" with Rick, in the way that his irrepressible honor and bravery almost cause him to go out and endanger his own life. And yes, writers, I understand that Rick and his son's situations are now reversed, and I understand that it's ironic, presumably in a tear-jerky sort of way. Trust me, I get it. I really do. Thanks for ramming that down my throat three or four times this episode, including simply putting it in dialogue (why not?) and dedicating an entire prologue to it (of course). They're still trying to develop characters like this, and it's totally working against them. Will this spiral of failure ever end?

My advice? Stop trying with the characters. You've already failed. You're just making it worse. Have fun with the zombies and the suspense. Why can't this show be fun?

Pubrick

my advice? stop watching it.

thanks for taking the bullet though guys, another bunch of hours of my life that i can devote to something less pointless.
under the paving stones.

Jeremy Blackman

The last 3 episodes have been very good. Surprisingly good. Mostly because they decided to follow my advice and give Glenn and Darryl more to do. Those two are officially the best characters. Darryl is especially interesting, and the acting certainly helps. They also gave Shane some serious dimension (as forced as it may have been), and as a result he no longer annoys me. The cold opens have been remarkably good. I like where this is going.

The emotional manipulation is still there, but now it's sort of poking you with a stick rather than crushing your skull with a baseball bat.

There's the fact that the show appears to be good to the extent that it excludes Rick (the ostensible lead), but let's not think about that right now.