Darabont walks away from The Walking Dead

The Walking Dead , the first season of which got rave reviews, won multiple awards, and built up a huge following here and Stateside, will now be without helmer Frank Darabont, the man who adapted it for TV.

Starring Andrew Lincoln, The Walking Dead is based on the comic book series by Image Comics. Series 2 is currently in production, and is till due to premiere on 16th October this year. As yet there's no official announcement as to why the writer/director has decided to leave the show.

Darabont recently took on Glen Marazza, former scribe/producer on the excellent FX series The Shield (an episode of which Frank directed) as his second in command, so there’s a good pair of hands to possibly take the reins.

This news may suggest that Darabont, whose last feature was the classic 2007 horror The Mist will be returning to the big screen. For anyone who saw that film the news may be met with some excitement along with disappointment.

There is a possibility the director will remain involved in the series in some capacity, and rumours abound that the gruelling schedule of producing a series was too much for him.

However, in a Q and A with Deadline last month Darabont said: "In TV, you have to get ideas across in a more economical way, but the process is fundamentally the same (as features), just accelerated. There’s no time for second guessing. The wheels are in constant motion. I love that about television. If I’d known how much fun it was, I’d have done it years ago."

Considering the above quote, and that at Comic-Con he was excitedly talking about the show that he spent so much time and effort bringing to life, the news really does come as an unwelcome surprise.