Frank Darabont Slams ‘Sociopaths’ Who Fired Him From ‘Walking Dead’
Credit: Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times
Frank Darabont was instrumental in bringing The Walking Dead to the airwaves, but the former showrunner for the post-apocalyptic zombie drama was unceremoniously pushed out following the controversial, critically-panned second season. Though he has tried to maintain civility beneath a thing veneer of contempt for the show he once shepherded, Darabont no longer has any intention of keeping his opinions carefully-worded.
When asked if he still watches The Walking Dead during an interview with Variety, Darabont responded, “Oh god no, why would I?”
He continues, “If the woman you loved with all your heart left you for the Pilates instructor and just sent you an invitation to the wedding, would you go?”
His venom then extends to the bigwigs behind the scenes, though he avoids naming names.
“There’s a deep commitment and emotional investment that happens when you create something that is very near and dear to you, and when that is torn asunder by sociopaths who don’t give a s*** about your feelings or the feelings of your cast and crew because they have their own reasons to screw everybody, that doesn’t feel good.”
This is more or less in line with similar comments he made to Rolling Stone on Monday, saying, "Look, I really haven't spoken of this yet – I will, I'll get there – but I had to take some time off after that to really reassess everything, to really get over the emotional devastation of having some truly malevolent people tear asunder a brilliant family that had gathered to create this hit for them."
As Darabont continued, "It was a very, very deep and loving family, the cast and the crew, and to have that torn apart was – when somebody throws a hand-grenade into that situation, it's tremendously emotionally trying. So would I want to watch another episode of The Walking Dead after that? Are you f***ing kidding me? No, you put that traumatic disappointment behind you and move on with your life."
Darabont is already well past the point of moving on, as he's ready to unveil his new TNT noir series Mob City.
Advertised as a landmark, three-week event, Mob City will air a six-episode season, with two episodes per week starting Dec. 4.
“It’s semi-binge-viewing, I guess,” says Darabont. “The audience really gets to see if they’re digging what they’re seeing…It’s so smart. If the show is successful, it will be due in large measure not just to our efforts, but to TNT’s because they’re marketing the hell out of it.”
Darabont explained his initial interest of the series came as a result of discovering John Buntin’s L.A. Noir: The Struggle for the Soul of America’s Most Seductive City.
“I found the book in LAX,” Darabont says of the book that inspired the series. “I was leaving town for a quick week of R&R in 2010. At first, I thought it was a collection of short stories, but I realized it was nonfiction on the plane, and I couldn’t put the damn book down for two days.”
Darabont got to work developing Mob City alongside longtime friend and collaborator Michael De Luca. He also employed some of his ex-Walking Dead colleagues, such as Jon Bernthal, who is cast as series lead Joe Teague.
Mob City premieres Wednesday, Dec. 4, on TNT. The Walking Dead, meanwhile, airs Sundays at 9:00 PM on AMC.
Via: Variety / Rolling Stone