Photo: Andrew Toth (Getty Images)
The Walking Dead television show may be dying a slow death, but the franchise’s creator is killing it. Robert Kirkman has just sold another apocalyptic tale entitled 5 Year. The high-concept plot about “the final five years before a fatal meteor ends the Earth” sounds a lot like the once-thriving The Walking Dead, except without zombies.
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The twist in 5 Year is that the in-development series will focus on how people across the globe choose to live after learning the world will end in the next five years. Get it? They know the meteor is coming. Will the impending doom bring out the good or bad in humanity? What would Rick Grimes do?
The global storyline had to be a major selling point because international deals are already signed for Korea, the U.K., Latin America, Germany, India, Russia, China, and Italy, all of which will have localized versions of the five-season show, which also happens to be the magic number of years for a show to reach syndication. That’s why they pay Kirkman the big bucks.
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This is a nice way for Kirkman to get back into the television business after his follow-up show Outcast was canceled by Cinemax after two seasons. The prolific Kirkman launched the still-ongoing The Walking Dead comic book series 15 years ago but has quietly distanced himself from the show after a much-publicized spat with then TWD showrunner Scott Gimple. Kirkman didn’t like how the show was straying too far from the comic book storyline although he currently still serves as a behind-the-scenes “consultant.” Awkward.
