The Walking Dead has been around for a very long time, with its debut in 2010. Due to the success of the original series, AMC expanded the franchise into multiple spinoffs. We're talking six live-action spinoff shows such as Fear the Walking Dead, World Beyond, Tales of the Walking Dead, Dead City, Daryl Dixon and The Ones Who Live.
But do you know the one Walking Dead idea that still hasn't been done, and could be a complete game-changer? An animated series! It's honestly baffling that, despite the franchise's massive success and years of fan demand, AMC has never fully committed to bringing the original comic’s story to life in animated form.
While The Walking Dead live-action series is based on Robert Kirkman's comic book series of the same name, it doesn't completely follow the comics. The show follows the general storyline and includes many of the main characters and locations from the comics, but there are significant deviations and changes. For example, there are characters that were created specifically for the show and not included in the comics. Think Daryl and Merle Dixon.
While Daryl would go on to be one of the best characters in the franchise, some fans of the comics still hoped for a closer, more faithful adaptation. An animated series could finally deliver that, giving fans a chance to see the world of The Walking Dead exactly as it was envisioned on the page. So, what's the holdup?
AMC holds the rights to The Walking Dead franchise
As reported by Comicbook.com, Kirkman stated in the “Letter Hacks” column of The Walking Dead Deluxe #85 that he would love to see an animated series happen someday, but it won’t be possible until he regains the rights from AMC. So it appears that, despite fan demand and Kirkman’s interest, a full Walking Dead animated series remains on hold, trapped by legal and creative limitations until the rights are back in the creator’s hands.
Given that the franchise is still going strong and really successful, it doesn't look like AMC will be in any rush to give up the rights. However, it still doesn't make sense why the network doesn't want to capitalize on the growing demand for an animated adaptation themselves. It would only benefit them in the end.
Not only would an animated series allow AMC to reach new audiences and satisfy longtime fans craving a faithful adaptation, but it would also give the network a way to expand The Walking Dead universe without the high costs and logistical challenges of live-action production. With The Walking Dead franchise still alive and thriving, launching an animated series now could be the perfect way to keep the momentum going. Again, it just doesn't make sense. We can only hope that AMC eventually recognizes the potential and greenlights a full-fledged animated series in the near future.