Frank Darabont's departure from The Walking Dead was a shock to the TV viewing world. Coming on the heels of the Comic-Con panel, where Darabont joined cast and crew in enthusiastically discussing the hit AMC series, the announcement was extremely unexpected. Though Glen Mazzara has already stepped into the role of show runner, the change in leadership got me wondering; who else might be worthy of the position? So I present three candidates who would be well suited for the job, and while these picks are just wishful thinking, they are nonetheless qualified.
Ronald D. Moore
With NBC passing on his latest project,
17th Precinct, Moore was available to
take the reins on The Walking Dead. Working
for years in the Sci-Fi genre, it was his revival of Battlestar
Galactica that brought him his
most acclaim; and is what truly qualifies him to take on TWD.
The sprawling epic pitted the last vestige of humanity against
seemingly insurmountable odds. In addition to the obvious
similarity, Battlestar Galactica also
often conveyed that despite the horrors they faced in battle,
humanity is its own worst enemy; which is another central theme in
the TWD comics. An
aspect that never seemed to translate to Darabont's interpretation of
the series. Moore joining the TWD
would mean reuniting with composer, Bear McCreary; whose work on BSG
produced one of the best soundtracks in television history, and is
all the more excuse to get the two of them back together.
Joss Whedon
Another
TV legend with numerous science fiction series under his belt, Whedon
has dealt with the undead on more than one occasion. Though he is
currently writing and directing the long-anticipated film, The
Avengers, his merits place him
high in the running if he were free. Whedon's main qualification is
the same reason fans of his shows have such a love/hate relationship
with him. The man just loves killing off characters. The more loved
someone is by fans, the more likely they are to kick the bucket.
Creator of the comic series, Robert Kirkman, has also never been
averse to deep sixing the members of his not-so-merry band, which
places Whedon right at home. The other big draw for him is the
inevitable improvement to the dialogue he would bring. The clunky
sounding conversations were responsible for many of the complaints
TWD's first season
drew, and the witty repartee Whedon is known for could have given it
a much needed boost.
Vince Gilligan
Though
as Ali reported earlier in the week, he may be done with the
network altogether, the Breaking Bad
creator makes for an interesting choice to take on the fellow AMC
series. Gilligan found fame with Breaking Bad's critical
success, and the elements that made it so great could work well on
TWD. With its fair
share of brutally violent and gruesome scenes, BB
has proven Gilligan doesn't mind the gore. (The disposal of a
semi-dissolved body during the first season springs to mind.) His
focus on visual presentation would also help highlight one of TWD's
best features: the stunning attention to detail that goes into the
makeup and effects of the “Walkers.” The dark and depressive
nature of Gilligan's writing wouldn't be out of place either. The
characters of Breaking Bad
are often dealing with situations that are as bleak as those in TWD.
Beyond the similarities between the two shows on AMC, Gilligan's
work as a writer and producer on The X-Files
demonstrates he is not unfamiliar with the horror and Sci-Fi genres.