Ever since it was revealed that a "The Walking Dead" companion series is in the works, some fans of the franchise have expressed their fears that the upcoming show might end up as complete copy of the original program. But comic book creator Robert Kirkman insisted in a recent interview that the companion 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 to Comic Book Resources, who wrote the pilot episode of the companion series with the showrunner Dave Erickson. "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."
AMC announced on Sept. 5, that it has ordered a pilot episode of the companion series, and now, Kirkman revealed that that are already casting.
"We're casting now, and we've got a date for when we're filming," the 35-year-old comic book writer revealed. "Things are moving pretty quickly, and I hope around summer next year we can start talking with people more about it."
The companion series will reportedly have six main characters. Below is an unofficial list of principal characters obtained by TVLine.
SEAN CABRERA | A Latino male in his early 40s, Sean is a good man trying to do right by everyone in his life.
CODY CABRERA | Sean's whip-smart and rebellious teenage son. Known as the angriest kid in town.
NANCY TOMPKINS | A thirtysomething single mom to two kids, Nancy looks like the girl next door, but there's an edge to her.
NICK TOMPKINS | Nancy's screwed up teenage son. He's too old to stay home, too scared to flee.
ASHLEY TOMPKINS | Nancy's mostly level-headed teenage daughter. Her ambition is in direct proportion to her older brother's failures. She loves her mom but it's time to get out of Dodge.
ANDREA CHAPMAN | A somewhat wilted flower child, fortysomething Andrea - yep, another Andrea! - has retreated to the outskirts of the city to recover after a horrible marriage.
In TVLine's character list, the phrase "get out of Dodge" was used, and while it means to leave someplace immediately, the fact that the word "Dodge" is capitalized appears to suggest that the show will be set in Dodge City, Kansas, according to Zap2It.
