Kirkman’s first look deal with Universal helped land The Walking Dead movie

The Walking Dead movie could have found a home with a number of movie studios, but Robert Kirkman’s deal with Universal likely sealed the deal.

Interest in The Walking Dead movie has been at an all-time high ever since San Diego Comic-Con panel, where it was revealed that Universal has partnered with AMC to bring the Rick Grimes movie to the big screen. During AMC’s second quarter earnings call, AMC president and CEO Josh Sapan noted that Universal was one of many companies looking to help bring the movies to life.

Sapan noted that “there was interest fairly widely among studios”, but ultimately Universal won the bid. That interest, Sapan said, was an indication of The Walking Dead’s strength as a franchise.

Partnering with Universal makes sense on a number of levels. Robert Kirkman has a first look film deal with Universal, so naturally the venerated studio is already a good fit for the Rick Grimes movies. There’s also the studio’s connection to its theme park, where The Walking Dead Attraction already delights fans on a daily basis. Building ties to Universal, both in film and with their theme parks, makes a lot of sense.

Kirkman made a point to reassure The Walking Dead fans at SDCC that just because the comic book series has ended doesn’t mean there aren’t more stories to tell for the television series. In fact, AMC widely views The Walking Dead as just getting started. The expansion to two spinoff shows and the Rick Grimes movies is just the beginning as plans move forward to bring limited series, new series and other movies to life.

There’s no timeline on the Rick Grimes movies, but it’s possible that filming will begin in 2019 and that could mean the first movie would arrive in late 2020 or early 2021.

As AMC continues to move forward with its expansion plans, fans eagerly await the show’s season 10 return on October 6.