Last week I reported on the behind-the-scenes mess that had been going on over at THE WALKING DEAD, with showrunner Frank Darabont inelegantly getting the boot and subsequently filing a civil lawsuit against the AMC network powers-that-be. This week there are some new developments, as Darabont’s trial deposition has been made public. It is as juicy as one would hope, if one were into that sort of dirty laundry. In the deposition, Darabont maintains that the reasons for his being fired were “concocted” and paints the studio as greedy, insensitive and even Machiavellian in its control. He also claims they ripped him off on licensing deals and failed to pay him for services rendered.
One particular sticking point involved the show’s budget, which Darabont says the network kept skimping on, despite the increasing success of the series. Personally I find it hard to believe that AMC execs could EVER be greedy, but that’s just me. Otherwise, it all comes down to which side you want to believe. Who’s lying, Darabont or the network? Typically the truth in any argument lies somewhere in between the two disparate versions. I suspect it’s the same here. I will say, though, that given TWD’s epic success, it’s kinda tacky for the network to be complaining too much. About anything.