Former Walking Dead showrunner slams AMC in new testimony

Frank Darabont, former showrunner of The Walking Dead, slammed AMC for negligent behavior in a recent testimony released for his ongoing lawsuit with the network.

Darabont filed a lawsuit against AMC back in December of 2013 after he claimed that the network withheld millions of dollars in profit from him after being let go. According to the lawsuit, Darabont and his lawyers claimed that after the network licensed the show to itself, it contractually deprived Darabont of any extra profit he was originally set to receive.

Darabont and his lawyers argued that despite being promised profit participation, he has yet to receive even a dollar of what he was owed after he was inexplicably fired. A firing, the lawsuit alleged, he had never gotten a full explanation over until now.

The testimony offered a bit more of an alleged explanation as to why Darabont was fired from his showrunning duties so abruptly in July of 2013, just weeks into the production of the second season. According to Darabont's testimony, AMC alleged that he neglected to fulfill basic showrunning duties, like taking important meetings with directors.

These particular meetings are called tone meetings and require the showrunner meet with every new director hired. The idea is to go over what the episode will look like and how it will fit in with the rest of the season. Darabont was adamant that while it's difficult to arrange a meeting with each director, he always managed to attend.

"I had a tone meeting with every single director," Darabont said, "where they got the, 'I don't have tone meetings with directors' thing is beyond me."

Darabont also denies allegations that he delayed production with constant script issues. Darabont argued that he was in constant communication with producers and AMC executives about the "crisis-level" problems the scripts and episodes had during the season's first run. Scripts had to be delayed by three weeks so they could reshoot particular episodes because the directing simply wasn't where it needed to be, or they couldn't make a cohesive episode in the editing room.

Darabont said that AMC argued he had never spoken with them about the issues and left everyone in the dark, leading to multiple problems on set and in the offices back in New York.

AMC has been quiet throughout most of the proceedings over the years, neglecting to comment on the ongoing case more often than not. Last year, however, the network did tell The Hollywood Reporter that it had the contractual right to set a licensing fee on The Walking Dead and didn't owe Darabont anything.

After Darabont was fired from the series, AMC brought on Glen Mazzara, who Darabont had previously hired as a head writer, to take over control of the show. Mazzara eventually departed the series after the third season and writer Scott M. Gimple stepped up to the plate. Gimple is still currently acting as the show's head honcho.