David Farnor | On 08, Sep 2014

It’s official: there will be a companion series to The Walking Dead.

AMC has announced that it has ordered a pilot episode for a spin-off from the hit zombie horror series. The Walking Dead first premiered on AMC in October 2010 and has since been the top programme on US TV among adults aged 18-49. Based on the graphic novels by Robert Kirkman, it has won its own following in the UK too, with the show available to binge-view on Amazon Prime Instant Video.

Along with Kirkman, series veterans Gale Anne Hurd and David Alpert will exec-produce the new project, which is currently untitled. Dave Erickson (Marco Polo, Sons of Anarchy), who co-created and co-wrote the pilot with Kirkman, will serve as showrunner.

“Almost from the beginning of The Walking Dead on AMC, fans have been curious about what is going on in the zombie apocalypse in other parts of the world. In fact, beyond requests for zombie cameos, it’s the question I get asked the most,” said AMC President Charlie Collier.

“Obviously, we all take our stewardship of the original franchise incredibly seriously and we, along with Robert, Gale, David and now Dave, are all proceeding with extreme care in order to ensure that we are offering fans something truly compelling, engaging and distinct. We’re thrilled to be taking this next step with these remarkable partners.”

“There are many corners of The Walking Dead universe that remain unseen in the shadows,” added Kirkman.

“Being given the opportunity to shine a light into those corners and see what lurks out there is an absolute thrill. I know the fans are anxious to hear what Dave and I have been cooking up for this new version of The Walking Dead, and I’m happy to be one step closer to sharing it with them.”

The pilot is scheduled for production in late 2014. Until then, we are all counting down the days until you can watch Season 5 of The Walking Dead online in the UK. The date in question? Monday 13th October.

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