Ugly Scandal That Forced Walking Dead OG Showrunner to Quit & Sue AMC
Many fans feel that the quality of the show had plummeted since the showrunner's exit.
The Walking Dead debuted in 2010 and immediately became the AMC network's biggest hit and a worldwide phenomenon.
Frank Darabont was show’s showrunner but in 2011, shortly before the release of the second season, he was unexpectedly fired. According to AMC, this was due to the network's desire to save money, as the director and his company, CAA, were to receive a percentage of the profits, which were expected to be very high.
In 2013, Darabont filed a lawsuit. He called his dismissal illegal, and also claimed that the network deliberately underestimated the income from showing the series and selling broadcast rights.
Darabont claimed the network breached its contract with the director and deprived him of tens of millions of dollars in income due to his alleged departure in the middle of the second season.
In addition, according to Darabont, AMC cut the budget for The Walking Dead despite the show's popularity. Frank fought with the network's management over this, but was told that the success of the show was irrelevant in the matter. The director said the amount he received to produce the episode dropped from $3.4 million to $3 million.
Also, according to Frank's comments, AMC officials rarely showed up on the set, sitting in air-conditioned tents set up for the actors to rest during half-hour breaks and then leaving in limousines back to the New York office.
The director was particularly upset because the actors were doing their best in the heat and management was not paying attention at all.
The problems came to a head during the filming of the first episode of the second season. Darabont felt the shooter material was not good enough. He asked for reshooting, received a permission...and then this conversation was just "forgotten."
Glen Mazzara, one of Darabont's assistants, confirmed that AMC was unfair to their showrunner, adding that the director worked hard, tried his best and did everything for the show.
For example, the farm where the second season was filmed belonged to a religious family, which did not want to give up their land for filming because of the show's subject matter, but Darabont was able to convince the owners.
As a result, two sides entered into a settlement agreement under which the $200 million paid was to compensate Darabont for lost profits. The director also received a percentage of the profits from the airing of new episodes of The Walking Dead and Fear the Walking Dead, but at the same time gave up his share of the copyrights to the series.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter