WTF? Frank Darabont steps down as “The Walking Dead” showrunner

Last Updated on July 23, 2021

What the f*ck is this all of a sudden…

Mere days after dropping all kinds of info-bombs at Comic-Con, “The Walking Dead” showrunner Frank Darabont has decided to step aside.

Word comes from Deadline, which mainly cites the daily rigors of TV production as the cause of Darabont’s relief. Remember, he’s a feature filmmaker, he ain’t used to all 9-10 months of shooting (which is where “Walking Dead” is headed, moving from 6 to 13 episodes in its second season). He also had planned to off his writing staff in place of freelancers, but the studio basically wheedled him into retaining the writing staff model most series adhere to. Guess he wasn’t too thrilled.

We’re not sure if Darbaont is off the show entirely or if he’ll remain onboard in some capacity, but again, this announcement comes as quite a surprise given how excited Darabont seemed to be at Comic-Con last week. No showrunner has been announced as Darabont’s replacement.

“The Walking Dead” premieres on AMC October 16th.

“The Walking Dead’s” Laurie Holden