AMC has tapped Adam Davidson to direct the pilot of "The Walking Dead" companion series, Deadline reported.
Davidson, who won an Oscar in 1991 for best short film, live action for "The Lunch Date," which he wrote and directed, will direct from a script penned by comic book writer Robert Kirkman and showrunner Dave Erickson. Filming is slated to start late this year.
The 50-year-old Los Angeles-born television director has a total of 57 directing credits, according to his IMDb page. These include "Hell On Wheels," "Community," "Parenthood," "The Following," and "Masters of Sex" among many others.
Executive producing the companion series are Kirkman, Erickson, Gale Anne Hurd and David Alpert. AMC Studios is producing.
The companion series takes place during the same zombie apocalypse depicted on "The Walking Dead" but in a different location.
"Almost from the beginning of 'The Walking Dead' on AMC, fans have been curious about what is going on in the zombie apocalypse in other parts of the world. In fact, beyond requests for zombie cameos, it's the question I get asked the most," said AMC President Charlie Collier in a statement released early month. "Obviously, we all take our stewardship of the original franchise incredibly seriously and we, along with Robert, Gale, David and now Dave, are all proceeding with extreme care in order to ensure that we are offering fans something truly compelling, engaging and distinct."
"There are many corners of 'The Walking Dead' universe that remain unseen in the shadows," added Kirkman in the same statement. "Being given the opportunity to shine a light into those corners and see what lurks out there is an absolute thrill. I know the fans are anxious to hear what Dave and I have been cooking up for this new universe of 'The Walking Dead.'"
Though the companion series is set during the same zombie apocalypse depicted on "The Walking Dead," Kirkman insisted during an interview with Comic Book Resources earlier this month that the upcoming series will be distinct from the parent show.
"The central [idea of] what we're doing with that show started with me going, 'I'm a different person now. What would I do in 'The Walking Dead' space [today]?'" revealed Kirkman. "I started doing 'Walking Dead' as a spunky 24-year-old. I was faster and better in every way! Now I'm old and tired. I have kids now...I'm in a different place, and so I very much from the outset thought, 'I'm going to compete with that idiot from the past and see what I can do.'"
"There hasn't ever been any leftover ideas from 'The Walking Dead' that I could use in something like this, but it is an opportunity for me to start over from scratch and see 'Can I - working with Dave - construct a new world and a new pocket of this universe that is just as entertaining but completely different,'" he explained. "And I think we've pulled it off."