Darabont Fires Entire Walking Dead Writing Staff

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  • Darabont Fires Entire Walking Dead Writing Staff

    Deadline is reporting a rumor that director, writer and Walking Dead producer Frank Darabont has let the entire writing staff go. And instead of hiring a new staff for the second season, Darabont is toying with the idea of assigning freelancers to each script. While assigning freelancers to TV scripts isn't anything new, canning the whole writing staff is pretty unusual, and we're still weighing out the pros and cons of this executive decision.
    "People spend so much time focusing on rescuing the princess, they forget how much fun it is to fight the dragon."
    - Simon Pegg & Nick Frost, DAVE

  • #2
    Re: Darabont Fires Entire Walking Dead Writing Staff

    I'm also caught between "Woo-Hoo" and "D'oh" on this. Does the freelancers have to be repped? Do they have to have samples?
    "A screenwriter is much like being a fire hydrant with a bunch of dogs lined up around it.- -Frank Miller

    "A real writer doesn't just want to write; a real writer has to write." -Alan Moore

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    • #3
      Re: Darabont Fires Entire Walking Dead Writing Staff

      Originally posted by Madbandit View Post
      I'm also caught between "Woo-Hoo" and "D'oh" on this. Does the freelancers have to be repped? Do they have to have samples?
      I'm a firm "Woo-hoo!". Anything that might help reduce the ham-fisted sentimentality, awkward expository dialog, and unrealistic, life-threatening character decisions is a plus in my book. (Unfortunately I think we're stuck with the wooden Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes.)

      RE: Freelancing, I'm sure the answers are "yes" and "yes".
      "People spend so much time focusing on rescuing the princess, they forget how much fun it is to fight the dragon."
      - Simon Pegg & Nick Frost, DAVE

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Darabont Fires Entire Walking Dead Writing Staff

        Originally posted by Madbandit View Post
        I'm also caught between "Woo-Hoo" and "D'oh" on this. Does the freelancers have to be repped? Do they have to have samples?
        dood -- you need a better grasp of reality. any freelancers he hires will have a proven record... not just zombie and/or tv samples and a manager. i'm sure he's already being hounded by many writers that have all three.

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        • #5
          Re: Darabont Fires Entire Walking Dead Writing Staff

          I think it's a given that the folks he hires will have a proven track record. It may be AMC, but it's not the minor leagues. But opening it up will pull in a lot of solid players to be tried out.

          And yeah...I think a lot of the clunkier aspects of this season falls directly on Darabont's shoulders. He's a feature writer, not a TV series writer. Different beast. Some aspects of past episodes have a vibe that they were written on the fly, and not thought out all that well. Bring in the folks that know how to make an hour of TV sing.

          And I'm pretty sure he doesn't intend the next five or so years of his creative life to be spent running a show that is someone else's baby, so the stable he fills to start handling the writing is going to be solid. The show is a hit, he's gonna have plenty of options. Of course, his office is about to be hit with a tidal wave of amateur zombie scripts, so I'm feeling sorta bad for whoever he hires to wade through all that crap. But hey...it's a paycheck.

          So. I'm not a Darabont fan, but there's a lot that he's setting out to do here that I like. I'm optimistic for the show again.
          "Forget it, Jake. It's Hollywood."

          My YouTube channel.

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          • #6
            Re: Darabont Fires Entire Walking Dead Writing Staff

            I think you're all missing the point. Darabont has found a kingdom over which he can be lord god...

            He's claimed credit/ rewritten every episode. That means he's got a staff of people with big credits of their own giving him the evil eye every day.

            Just ask anyone who's ever worked on staff of a Sorkin show how they feel about him and this kind of showrunner mentality...

            By "hiring" freelancers, he doesn't have to deal with that. He'll break outlines with them based on the comic. They'll go off to their private places and write a draft. Then Darabont is free to re-write at will and slap his name right next to theirs without having to deal with the personal interaction that comes with walking down the hall to tell your staffers you're sharing credit.

            It's like banging a hot chick in your own apartment and SHE sneaks out before you wake up. Win win for the guy who'd rather see a mirror in the morning than another person.

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            • #7
              Re: Darabont Fires Entire Walking Dead Writing Staff

              Originally posted by loopdesign View Post
              Darabont Fires Entire Walking Dead Writing Staff
              Good. They sucked.

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Darabont Fires Entire Walking Dead Writing Staff

                Originally posted by JJBones View Post
                I think you're all missing the point. Darabont has found a kingdom over which he can be lord god...
                I think if that's what he's looking for, all he had to do is maintain the status quo.
                "Forget it, Jake. It's Hollywood."

                My YouTube channel.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Darabont Fires Entire Walking Dead Writing Staff

                  Except status quo means working with people who might not be happy with him taking credit on everything -- so his better option is just to keep doing his own thing and avoid the conflicts with people who "think" they have some kind of say in the writing.

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                  • #10
                    Re: Darabont Fires Entire Walking Dead Writing Staff

                    The hoopla and critical & ratings success this crap-fest of a show continues to garner is mind-boggling.

                    Equally mind-boggling: this show actually having a writing staff. Trained monkeys probably could have pounded out scripts with greater subtlety, vastly improved dialogue and better pacing.....

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: Darabont Fires Entire Walking Dead Writing Staff

                      problem is most monkey's aren't trained.

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                      • #12
                        Re: Darabont Fires Entire Walking Dead Writing Staff

                        Originally posted by NikeeGoddess View Post
                        problem is most monkey's aren't trained.
                        ...and from the caliber of episodes THE WALKING DEAD has aired, neither are the makers of this series....

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: Darabont Fires Entire Walking Dead Writing Staff

                          Originally posted by MacG View Post
                          The hoopla and critical & ratings success this crap-fest of a show continues to garner is mind-boggling.

                          Equally mind-boggling: this show actually having a writing staff. Trained monkeys probably could have pounded out scripts with greater subtlety, vastly improved dialogue and better pacing.....
                          Subtlety? Seriously? IT'S A SHOW ABOUT ZOMBIES!

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: Darabont Fires Entire Walking Dead Writing Staff

                            Originally posted by NikeeGoddess View Post
                            dood -- you need a better grasp of reality. any freelancers he hires will have a proven record... not just zombie and/or tv samples and a manager. i'm sure he's already being hounded by many writers that have all three.

                            Hey, if I didn't ask the questions, I wouldn't have a better grasp of reality. I'm just saying that some people might feel this would be a great opportunity to break in, but they might not understand how TV works. That's all.
                            "A screenwriter is much like being a fire hydrant with a bunch of dogs lined up around it.- -Frank Miller

                            "A real writer doesn't just want to write; a real writer has to write." -Alan Moore

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: Darabont Fires Entire Walking Dead Writing Staff

                              Originally posted by Biohazard View Post
                              Good. They sucked.
                              actually the weakest episodes - the pilot and part 2 - were darabont's.

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