Showrunner Dave Erickson talks with THR and says that the series
"parallel story rather than a prequel" still won't reveal the cause of the zombie apocalypse and answers more burning questions about the summer drama.

AMC has a lot riding on Fear the Walking Dead.

The drama, described as a "companion" series to TV's No. 1 drama among the advertiser-coveted adults 18-49 demographic, will give the cable network - fresh off the conclusion of Mad Men - a zombie drama in every quarter of the year. It's also a creative risk of sorts as Robert Kirkman looks to tell a new story (this one set in Los Angeles) that fills in the blanks of the early days of the outbreak - but not the cause - that changed the world.

Fear the Walking Dead starts at the dawn of a flu-like outbreak as one family - played by Cliff Curtis, Kim Dickens, Frank Dillane and Alycia Debnam Carey - try to survive and stay together amid a wave of terror unlike any other as well as their own internal drama.

Here, showrunner Dave Erickson (Sons of Anarchy) - who met Kirkman years ago while working on The Walking Dead creator's little-known TV script Five Years - talks with The Hollywood Reporter about why Fear isn't really a prequel, rumors of Jenner's return and if any of the flagship's stars - past or present - will crossover, and more.


AMC has said that Fear the Walking Dead isn't wholly a prequel. So what is it?

We are loosely covering the period of time that [The Walking Dead's] Rick (Andrew Lincoln) was in his coma in season one. We're able to watch and experience the things that he missed. It's more of a parallel story than a prequel; imagine the opening where Rick gets shot and goes in his coma - that day was probably very close to our day one. We're playing out the idea of what was going on in the country and the world until he woke up, stepped outside and it's welcome to the apocalypse. That's why a "companion piece" has been the phrase used at the network. It's not a prequel in the sense of Better Call Saul, where we're jumping back six, seven years. It does tie very specifically into the pilot of the original. :Prequel" is not the right word; it's kind of its own strange, hybrid thing. I wish I had a better word.

Kirkman has said the origin of the outbreak is something he's never going to reveal in the comics or the flagship series. Is that true here, too?

I had a couple of early pitches that touched on what you're referring to and Robert shut me down. For him, it's never been about what caused it; it's always been about the impact it has on people. Robert's always said - and this is what we try to anchor Fear in is: Your parents got divorced or there are zombies. You didn't get invited to the prom, or there are zombies. Because we're starting a bit earlier and have more of a slow burn into the apocalypse of season one, it gives us the opportunity to really ground our family's problems. We have this highly dysfunctional, blended family and all the issues that they face and they would have faced if the apocalypse hadn't struck, those are the problems we're exploring. The main narrative drive is the conflicts within this family dynamic and how those things are exacerbated by the arrival of the apocalypse.

We're also trying to show what first is perceived as civic unrest and riots and suddenly we bleed into something that's wholly unnatural. It's about a family: Travis (Curtis) just moved in with his girlfriend Madison (Dickens) after they got married. She has two children, one of whom has some issues. Travis has a very pissed-off teenager and an ex-wife. You're talking about two people who, as the story opens, all they want is to bring their family together under one roof and make everyone whole. The irony for us is that the only thing that helps accomplish that is that the world ends. What's intriguing to me is to take these problems, which I think would make for a compelling drama, and put them in this much larger canvas and see how they play out. All of the issues that we establish, these are the things that in my head will come to fruition in seasons three, four, five and six. It forges an interesting introduction into this world. It's much more about the "shark" you don't see in season one. We obviously play some of the tropes - and there are definitely walkers - but it's people trying to wrap their brain around what the hell is going on and not fully understanding the zombie apocalypse by act one. It's going through that process of the colleague or the friend you had coffee with the day before is now trying to kill you. And your first thought's going to be, "They're sick, they're on something." It takes a bit of time for everyone to wrap their brains around what this truly means.

Read more Robert Kirkman Reveals His Biggest 'Walking Dead' Regret

There's a reference in an early Fear pilot script to Dr. Candace Jenner - aka Test Subject 19 from the flagship. Is there a possibility that Claire Bronson could return? Could Edwin Jenner (played by Noah Emmerich) - the man who told Rick that everyone is already infected -appear? Kirkman has said that the season one CDC episode is among his biggest regrets.

I won't say that we would never go there, but as it was scripted originally, that was really a means to writing some connective tissue for the fans. Robert very poignantly said that he likes to avoid the CDC perspective, the FEMA perspective, at least moving forward. It's something I agree with; we'll never tell the story from the perspective of the bureaucrats, politicians and generals who are all trying to contain it. It will always be from the ground level looking up. There's something far more overwhelming and beautiful about your next-door neighbor and people you know trying to understand the apocalypse. It's really quite daunting.

trailer/more here:
http://www.yahoo.com/tv/fear-the-walking-dead-boss-reveals-details-of-119293678275.html?soc_src=mail&soc_trk=ma

I'll watch it. But that title stinks.

^ What title would you name it?

If anybody hears of a premier date, please post it. Seems they havent come out with one yet....or I cant find one.


On a side note....and I apologize for being off topic, but Im really looking forward to the History Channel's mini series about the Texas revolution....Texas Rising...starting Memorial Day.
A little about it here:

"" From the same team that brought us the
multiple Emmy Award-winning and ratings-
record breaking HATFIELDS & MCCOYS,
TEXAS RISING is a 10-hour event series that
details the Texas Revolution and the rise of
the Texas Rangers. Texas Rising stars Bill
Paxton, Brendan Fraser, Ray Liotta, Jeffrey
Dean Morgan , Olivier Martinez, Thomas
Jane , Crispin Glover , Rhys Coiro, Jeremy
Davies , Cynthia Addai-Robinson , Christopher
McDonald , Max Thieriot , Chad Michael
Murray, Trevor Donovan, Robert
Knepper , Jeff Fahey, Rob Morrow and Kris
Kristofferson, and is directed by two-time
Oscar-nominated director Roland Joff� ( The
Killing Fields, The Mission).""




http://www.history.com/shows/texas-rising/about

best movie with a Texas theme: The life and times of Judge Roy Bean

i agree, can't think of a better one though...

Thanks Moe...been a LONG time since I saw that one....need to see it again.

Fear the Walking Dead starts in two weeks, Aug 23rd. Here's a quick look:


http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YAJ1elwOH98&itct=CC8QpDAYBCITCKeklYXJnMcCFUeFfgodHGUF5VIVZmVhciB0aGUgd2Fsa2luZyBkZWFk&hl=en&client=mv-google&gl=US

Looks good! I hope it lives up to its hype. :)

I hope so also. Looks like the first episode will focus on the new characters famliy dynamics so it may start off slow.
The good news is that The Walking Dead will start its new season following the end of Fear The Walking Deads first season.....Oct 11th, I think.

mid season break, they stop for a few months in the winter...

Could be....start Fear ThevWalking Dead in Aug...take a break...begin The Walking Dead in Oct...run for two months, takes a break...and Fear starts back....ZOMBIES FOR MONTHS!

plus, Z nation is coming back in September too! zombies everywhere!

Well, winter is coming.

:D

Haha. I'm not complaining. :)

Cobalt was its original title, I like it, though I understand them not using it because it's not telling of what type of show it is.

That mess is coming back.

not a SyFy channel fan, are ya....lol

Tried watching Z nation too, because a friend at work recommended it. Couldn't get past the first 10 mins. Hahaha.

I know that's for T, but I love Face Off...Eureka too, so they're not a total crap machine. Haha.