Hearing about a hit television series possibly making its way to the big screen has unfortunately become too common with plenty of examples for fans not to get their hopes up.Entourage, Arrested Development, Deadwood, The Sopranos,Veronica Mars and constant others have all once been tossed around as possible theatrical candidates and none have seen the light just yet. And while all of the above television series have ended, there’s one more possible addition to the list that is still going incredibly strong on TV: The Walking Dead.
Bloody-Disgusting reports that the hit AMC zombie drama could in fact be making it’s way to theaters…just don’t expect it anytime soon. “I have some friends working closely with The Walking Dead crew and AMC who confirm with me rumblings of a feature film. But before you get your panties in a bunch, we’re only in the third season of the popular zombie show – adapted from Robert Kirkman’s astounding comic book – and when I say rumblings, I strongly suggest the idea has been passed off in non-business conversations.”
Now, what’s important to keep in mind is that there is simply nothing official in play here whatsoever. These aren’t talks with the studio or even talks with the creative minds of the series. Instead, this just a mention picked up in passing that may or may not come into fruition sometime in the future.
The Walking Dead is only on its third season, so it would likely be awhile before a film actually picks up, but perhaps the biggest question here is “why not?!” Though the second season was met with some mixed reactions, it had a strong finish that really impressed some of those who had a hard time with the series for most of the year. With plenty of promises the upcoming third season will be as strong as ever while tackling one of the most beloved arcs from the comics in The Prison and Woodbury, the show looks to have another hit season creatively on its hands that could increase some interest about a possible transition to cinemas.
What’s also interesting is that the fanbase is still there to make a successful run at the box office. The second season was considerably strong, ranging between 6 and 7.3 million viewers an episode, with the season finale reaching a series high of 9 million. Charge those viewers $8-10 each for a ticket to see a feature film version, and you have at least a modestly successful run that would certainly intrigue executives.
Again this is all in the hypothetical, but crazier things have happened. We’ll keep you updated on whether or not there could be any truth to the rumor as time marches forward.
What do you think? Could The Walking Dead make a great movie? Would you pay to see a big screen continuation of the survivors?
