92-539: " Vatos " is the fourth episode of the first season of the post-apocalyptic horror television series The Walking Dead . It originally aired on AMC in the United States on November 21, 2010. The episode was written by Robert Kirkman and directed by Johan Renck . In the episode, Rick Grimes ( Andrew Lincoln ), Daryl Dixon ( Norman Reedus ), Theodore "T-Dog" Douglas ( IronE Singleton ), and Glenn Rhee ( Steven Yeun ) return to downtown Atlanta in search of Daryl's brother, Merle . The group are later targeted by
184-517: A Pollyanna ending." When a two-disc edition of the DVD was released, it included an exclusive black-and-white presentation of the film, the way Darabont had always intended it to be. Darabont developed and executive-produced the first season of The Walking Dead , the AMC series based on Robert Kirkman 's comic book of the same name . Darabont recalled that he had first come across the series in 2005, in
276-490: A Latino gang, whose leader threatens to kill them if they do not relinquish their weapons. Meanwhile, Lori Grimes ( Sarah Wayne Callies ) and Shane Walsh ( Jon Bernthal )'s relationship begins to crumble. Major events in "Vatos" include the deaths of several recurring characters, including Amy ( Emma Bell ) and Ed Peletier ( Adam Minarovich ). This episode was filmed in several locations in Atlanta , Georgia , including
368-405: A bang would be a serious understatement ... [he] has fashioned a fully realized alternate reality and it's a thrilling thing to experience." In response to the season finale, James Poniewozik of TIME magazine gave the first season of The Walking Dead a glowing review stating, "the show has an urgency and bravery that make it something special". Josh Jackson of Paste magazine also praised
460-440: A bit." Critics praised the interactions between Amy and Andrea. Serba asserted that Kirkman effectively set up Amy's death at the beginning of the episode, and added that it established a sisterly bond. Serba also acclaimed Laurie Holden 's performance; he stated that she "powerfully conveys her grief and despair." Pierce avouched that the opening sequence was likable, while Michelle Kung of The Wall Street Journal summated that
552-458: A book by author John Buntin. Darabont discovered the book at LAX Airport and, after two days straight of reading it, decided to adapt it for television. Darabont was very passionate about the project as he had always wanted to produce a film noir . Darabont cast Jon Bernthal , whom he had worked with on The Walking Dead , in the lead role for the series. Other Darabont regulars cast included Jeffrey DeMunn and Alexa Davalos . The series
644-402: A close association with King, who granted him the "handshake deal" rights to another of his shorter works, Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption from the collection Different Seasons . Darabont sold his first screenplay titled Black Cat Run in 1986, but it was not produced for more than a decade, as a television film under the same name. Darabont was approached by Chuck Russell (who
736-466: A comic book store in Burbank, California . When Darabont became interested, creator Kirkman called it "extremely flattering". He said that Darabont "definitely cares about the original source material, and you can tell that in the way he's adapting it." Darabont first initiated a deal with NBC for The Walking Dead , but was later declined. He eventually brought it to AMC , who picked it up based on
828-586: A director, he is known for his film adaptations of Stephen King novellas and novels, such as The Shawshank Redemption (1994), The Green Mile (1999), and The Mist (2007). Darabont also developed and executive-produced the first season and first half of the second season of the AMC horror drama series The Walking Dead (2010–2011). Darabont was born in a refugee camp in 1959 in Montbéliard , France. His parents had fled Hungary for France after
920-589: A dying soldier, and with Thomas Jane , who originally was set to star in the series when it was pitched to HBO . He was wanted to be Rick Grimes . He was also in talks with Darabont to possibly guest star on the series. Laurie Holden also appeared in the 2001 film The Majestic (she played Adele Stanton, Jim Carrey 's love interest), which Darabont directed. DeMunn has additionally appeared in several of Darabont's films, in addition to The Mist and The Majestic : The Shawshank Redemption (1994) and The Green Mile (1999). The show's official website released
1012-426: A familiar task for him: It was very exciting. I got to write the attack at the end of the episode—which was very much something that happened in the comic book series —so I knew I would be revisiting something I had already written. But as we were in the writers' room, when things started shifting which led to all this new stuff that wasn't in the comic book series, I thought that was great because it wasn't me writing
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#17327914120481104-474: A fan of the zombie genre since seeing George A. Romero 's 1968 film Night of the Living Dead when he was fourteen years old. ""Night of the Living Dead" had this weird vibe that was almost - it was like pornography... It had this marvelously attractive, disreputable draw... I loved it immediately." Darabont recalls walking into a comic book store in Burbank, California and seeing The Walking Dead on
1196-446: A gun at a horde of walkers. According to the journalist of the magazine, it "examines the past, present, and future" of the television franchise; "from the comic book's humble beginnings, to unlikely path to the small screen, to even more unlikely path as a bona fide hit". Kirkman was ecstatic upon hearing of the news. "I've got to say—not to kiss your magazine's a– or anything—but when they called me and said Frank [Darabont] wanted to do
1288-404: A layer of red viscous liquid and a hose. Once it was bitten into, the prosthetic exploded and resembled a severe flesh wound. Kirkman expressed that it was difficult for him to remove Bell from the cast but was thankful that she understood she would only be limited to a certain number of episodes; he stated: It's something that's very difficult for me. Because it is lines on paper when I do it in
1380-411: A motion comic based on the first issue of the original comic and voiced by Phil LaMarr . The site also posted a making-of documentary primarily about the first episode, as well as a number of other behind-the-scenes videos and interviews. In the documentary, comic series creator and show executive producer Robert Kirkman as well as artist Charlie Adlard expressed that they were pleased with how faithful
1472-494: A network as "four years of frustration," and credits executive producer Gale Anne Hurd with finally getting the series on AMC . "I can't remember what the hell prompted her to read it [the script], but she said, "Wow, I really love this pilot you wrote. What are you doing with it?" I said I'd been trying to set it up forever... She said "I think AMC might be the place to take this." She did, and then bam! They were immediately interested. I had to credit Gale, her insight into marrying
1564-471: A production assistant on such films as Hell Night , The Seduction , and Trancers . The first film he wrote and directed was a short work adapted from Stephen King 's story " The Woman in the Room ". This film was one of the first " Dollar Babies " and made the semi-finalist list for Academy Award consideration in 1983. Although Darabont was not happy with how the short turned out, this effort resulted in
1656-424: A rewrite for Russell's film Eraser , they attempted to adapt a film of the 1930s pulp character, Doc Savage , and the two wrote an early treatment and were executive producers on the film Collateral . He has also tried to produce film adaptations of the novels Mine by Robert R. McCammon and Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury . Darabont still hopes to make both films someday. The same year Shawshank
1748-613: A television movie with a $ 2,000,000 budget that aired on the USA Network in 1990. He followed this with an extended run as a writer for George Lucas 's television series The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles . He also wrote two episodes of the television series Tales from the Crypt . Darabont made good on the deal with Stephen King by writing and directing the film adaptation of The Shawshank Redemption . Rob Reiner , who had previously adapted another King novella, The Body , into
1840-512: A very strong template. But we're going to take every interesting detour we feel like taking. As long as were staying on the path of what Robert has done, I don't see any reason not to. If they have patience we'll eventually catch up to what Robert is doing". The Walking Dead debuted during the same week in 120 countries. " Days Gone Bye " premiered in Hong Kong on TVB Pearl on August 30, 2011, while it expanded in international markets during
1932-563: Is firing those people. I feel really bad for Emma Bell, just because she was great and I would have liked to have had her in the show. But, you know, this is The Walking Dead , characters have got to die. Thankfully, Emma was brought onto the show with the understanding that she was only going to be in a certain number of episodes and she knew that she was going to die from the very beginning. But it doesn't really make it any easier. When they were shooting those scenes, I had to fly to Comic-Con and so I wasn't actually there for when she died. But it
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#17327914120482024-486: Is happening to me!'" The first season of The Walking Dead received mostly positive reviews from critics. On Metacritic , the season holds a score of 82 out of 100, indicating "universal acclaim", based on 25 critics. On Rotten Tomatoes , the season holds an 87% with an average rating of 7.35 out of 10 based on 101 reviews. The site's critical consensus reads: "Blood-spattered, emotionally resonant, and white-knuckle intense, The Walking Dead puts an intelligent spin on
2116-653: Is ridiculous, and the entire storyline plays like something out of an episodic social-lesson-of-the-week show. Since nothing ends up coming of it from a plot standpoint [...], it's hard not to think of it as one of those comics where two superheros [ sic ] have a big fight scene that turns out to be mistaken identity." The Walking Dead season 1 The first season of The Walking Dead , an American post-apocalyptic horror television series on AMC , premiered on October 31, 2010, and concluded on December 5, 2010, consisting of 6 episodes. Developed for television by Frank Darabont , who wrote or co-wrote four of
2208-671: The 1956 Hungarian Revolution , bringing his five brothers and four sisters, and three cousins. When Darabont was still an infant, his family immigrated to the United States, settling in Chicago before moving to Los Angeles when Darabont was five. Darabont was inspired in his youth to pursue a career in film after seeing the George Lucas film THX 1138 . Darabont graduated from Hollywood High School in 1977 and did not attend college. His first job after finishing school
2300-766: The 27th TCA Awards and Best New Series at the 63rd Writers Guild of America Awards . It was also nominated for Best Television Series – Drama at the 68th Golden Globe Awards and Best Drama Series at the 1st Critics' Choice Television Awards . For the 37th Saturn Awards , the season received six nominations, winning Best Television Presentation . The nominations were for Best Actor on Television ( Andrew Lincoln ), Best Actress on Television ( Sarah Wayne Callies ), Best Supporting Actor on Television ( Steven Yeun ), Best Supporting Actress on Television ( Laurie Holden ), and Best Guest Starring Role on Television ( Noah Emmerich ). The pilot episode, " Days Gone Bye ", received three Primetime Emmy Award nominations for
2392-488: The 63rd Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards , winning Outstanding Prosthetic Makeup for a Series, Miniseries, Movie, or Special , and received nominations for Outstanding Sound Editing for a Series and Outstanding Special Visual Effects . Frank Darabont was nominated for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Dramatic Series for his work on "Days Gone Bye". The pilot received 5.3 million viewers, making it
2484-1081: The Brooklyn Bridge in New York City , Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. , Palace of Westminster in London , Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul , Acropolis of Athens in Athens , and the Museo del Prado in Madrid . The campaign events commenced in Hong Kong and Taipei , and culminated in Los Angeles . The Walking Dead was included on the cover of the December 2010 edition of Entertainment Weekly , which featured Rick Grimes pointing
2576-533: The Goat Farm Arts Center in the West Midtown neighborhood of Atlanta , Georgia . "Vatos" features a sequence near the conclusion of the episode, in which a horde of walkers invades and attacks the campgrounds. The scene was written by Robert Kirkman, who based it closely on a similar sequence in the comics. Kirkman stated that he was very excited to develop the sequence and added that it was
2668-459: The Goat Farm Arts Center . "Vatos" was lauded by television commentators, who praised its storyline progression and character development. Upon initial airing, it attained 4.75 million viewers and a 2.4/6 rating in the 18-49 demographic, according to Nielsen ratings . The episode became the highest-rated cable program of the day, as well as the ninth most-watched cable program of the week. The episode opens as sisters Andrea and Amy are fishing for
2760-636: The National Entertainment Collectibles Association designed by the series own make-up artist, Greg Nicotero . Frank Darabont Frank Árpád Darabont (born Ferenc Árpád Darabont , January 28, 1959) is an American screenwriter, director and producer. He has been nominated for three Academy Awards and a Golden Globe Award . In his early career, he was primarily a screenwriter for such horror films as A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987), The Blob (1988) and The Fly II (1989). As
2852-617: The 2012 Austin Film Festival , Darabont was awarded the Extraordinary Contribution to Filmmaking Award for his contribution to cinema. In 2013, he lent his voice to a lengthier version of the World War Z audio book. In November of the same year Bob Weinstein revealed that he and Darabont were developing a ten part television series based on Darabont's 2007 film The Mist . Darabont was hired to rewrite
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2944-515: The Frogs ", which was watched by 5.07 million viewers and a 2.5/7 rating in the 18-49 demographic. In the United Kingdom, the episode received 467,000 viewers and became the highest-rated cable program on FX of the week dated November 28. "Vatos" attained general acclaim from television critics. James Poniewozik of TIME asserted that the episode successfully made the viewers experience
3036-436: The United States on AMC. The episode attained 4.75 million viewers upon airing, and garnered a 2.7/4 HH rating. Additionally, it received a 2.4/6 rating in the 18-49 demographic, according to Nielsen ratings . "Vatos" became the highest-rated cable program of the night, and the ninth most-watched cable program of the week. Ratings and total viewership for the episode moderately declined from the preceding installment, " Tell It to
3128-439: The United States, on November 5, 2010, on digital channel, FX . The premiere had 579,000 viewers, almost double for any other show on FX that week. The viewership dipped during the season then rose to 522,000 viewers for the final episode. The terrestrial premiere on Channel 5 on April 10, 2011, averaged 1.46 million viewers. Based on its ratings, the series was renewed for a second season on November 8, 2010. The first season
3220-484: The Vatos, a group of Latinos that kidnap Glenn and demand they exchange Rick's bag of weapons for his return. When they face-off at the Vatos' base, they discover it is a hidden nursing home , and the Vatos are only trying to protect their own family. Rick leaves some of his weapons and ammo for the Vatos, and Glenn is returned unharmed. Rick's group finds their vehicle missing, and suspect Merle took it seeking vengeance on
3312-465: The bit for season 2". Sean McKenna of TV Fanatic also offered mixed criticism saying the first season "had its ups and downs" noting that the second season should focus on "a more specific story arc and strengthening of the character development". Logan Hill of New York magazine was more critical, claiming the episodes contained "atrocious dialogue" and "a lot of plot machinery that has been contrived to create action suspense but ... hasn't really moved
3404-718: The black and white version of the pilot, and six new featurettes—"We Are The Walking Dead ", "Bring Out the Dead: KNB and the Art of Making Zombies", "Digital Decay: The VFX of The Walking Dead ", "No More Room in Hell: The Walking Dead Phenomenon", "Adapting the Dead" and "Killer Conversations: Frank Darabont & Greg Nicotero". In addition to the DVD and Blu-ray release, a limited edition Blu-ray collector's tin contains an exclusive wearable zombie mask from
3496-469: The cause. Darabont revealed in a 2021 interview with Mick Garris that he had recently written a script for a film centred around the American Civil War , based on an unproduced screenplay by filmmaker Stanley Kubrick and historian Shelby Foote that Ridley Scott was attached to produce. Darabont considers the script to be the best thing he has ever written and was dismayed when the film
3588-400: The comic book series. It's like, 'Oh, okay, Charlie Adlard [...] doesn't have to draw that arrangement of lines anymore, that person is dead.' But it's very uncomfortable for me to be on set, because I see these actors that are there and, in the source material, I have killed all but two of them. I walk through the set and I'm like, 'Yep, killed that one, killed that one, killed that one.' And it
3680-456: The comic books for television, Kirkman said it was "extremely flattering" and went on to say that, "He definitely cares about the original source material, and you can tell that in the way he's adapting it. It's an extreme validation of the work... Never in a million years could I have thought that if Walking Dead were to ever be adapted that everything would be going this well. I think that that's all because of Frank." Darabont himself had been
3772-510: The concluding scene was "an emotional release after a tense build-up." Critics were divided about Rick Grimes' return to Atlanta, as well as his stand off with Guillermo and his gang. Scott Meslow of The Atlantic compared Grimes to Mad Men 's Don Draper , and questioned his character development: "So far, every decision Rick has made has been both within his code and consequence-free," he said. Pierce opined: "Dramatically, this whole sequence plays out pretty hokily. Guillermo's dialogue
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3864-583: The daily life of the show's characters, and HitFix 's Alan Sepinwall felt that "Vatos" was the strongest episode since the series' pilot episode . In his 7.9 out of 10 star review, Josh Jackson of Paste wrote: "The whole spectrum of human nature is on view when civilization is stripped away—the bigger the immediate threat, the more varied the response. And it's this balance between action/horror and personal drama that makes The Walking Dead so compelling." Los Angeles Times writer Gina McIntyre felt that Kirkman "seemed right at home adapting his characters for
3956-449: The episode as "strong", ultimately giving it a nine out of ten, signifying an "amazing" rating. Leonard Pierce of The A.V. Club , who issued the episode a B grade, was less enthusiastic than the general consensus. Pierce felt that the bulk of the episode was "mushy" and concluded that it "didn't solve anything involving the ongoing plot and introduced a bunch of arbitrary, needless complications that had no payoff, [and] bogged it down quite
4048-577: The executives of AMC. Darabont and his agents from the Creative Artists Agency filed a lawsuit against AMC, seeking more than $ 280 million in unpaid profits. By July 2021, AMC had settled with Darabont and the CAA, agreeing to pay $ 200 million and future royalty payments. Not too long after leaving The Walking Dead , Darabont struck a deal with TNT to develop a pilot for a new series to air on their channel, titled L.A. Noir , based on
4140-469: The film The Majestic , starring Jim Carrey , Martin Landau , and Laurie Holden . He worked with these actors frequently throughout his career. Michael Sloane , whom Darabont had known since high school, wrote the script. This film is one of the few which Darabont directed, but did not write the screenplay. Darabont wanted to direct the film as he saw it as a "love letter" to works of Frank Capra and all
4232-411: The film had worked on the television series The Shield , as Darabont hired them after directing an episode of the series. He thought they could help give the film a "more fluid, ragged documentary kind of direction". Darabont also helped create the designs of the creatures in the film, along with artists Jordu Schell , Bernie Wrightson , and the film's lead makeup artist Greg Nicotero . CafeFX
4324-608: The film. The same year, Darabont wrote the introduction for the Hellboy novel, Hellboy: Odder Jobs by Christopher Golden . In 2005, Cemetery Dance Publications published Darabont's novella Walpuski's Typewriter in a limited edition. The story, originally written in his early twenties, first appeared in Jessie Horsting's magazine Midnight Graffiti . In 2007, Darabont directed an episode of The Shield titled "Chasing Ghosts". He also directed and executive produced
4416-493: The first week of November. Two weeks prior to its official premiere in the United States, the contents of the episode leaked online. As part of an expansive campaign to advertise and heighten anticipation for the premiere, international broadcasting affiliates of AMC and Fox coordinated a worldwide zombie invasion event proceeding days prior to premiere of the episode in the United States. The event occurred in twenty six cities worldwide, and were hosted in select locations including
4508-460: The gang is formed by Roger Herrera and Timothy Douglas Perez. This episode marked the last regular appearance of Emma Bell (Amy), whose character was killed off in the conclusion of the installment. Her death is considered one of the twentieth most shocking deaths in the series. Greg Nicotero , the show's production designer, enacted the walker who bites Amy. Bell stated that Nicotero placed a skin-colored prosthetic around her neck, which consisted of
4600-560: The material and the buyer." Darabont's original pilot script was split in half and embellished, making the first two episodes instead of one, "...just to slow the narrative down and dig into the characters more deeply, so it's not just plot-driven, event-driven stuff. You really want to drag these characters into the equation." To write the remaining episodes of the season, Darabont recruited Charles H. Eglee , Adam Fierro and Glen Mazzara , all of whom he had worked with while directing an episode of The Shield . Jack LoGiudice also joined
4692-560: The most viewed basic cable drama series at that time. Based on its reception, AMC renewed the series for a second season consisting of 13 episodes, which premiered on October 16, 2011. This season adapts material from issues #1–6 of the comic book series and introduces notable comic character Rick Grimes ( Andrew Lincoln ), who awakens from a coma , after being shot, in a post-apocalyptic world filled with flesh-eating zombies , dubbed "walkers". After befriending Morgan Jones ( Lennie James ), Rick sets out to find his family and discover
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#17327914120484784-430: The most-watched series premiere episode of any AMC television series. In July 2011, Darabont was fired from the position as showrunner. Initial reports suggested that he was unable to adjust to the schedule of running a television series; however, it was later confirmed that he was fired due to AMC's desire to reduce the show's budget (twice as many episodes for 20% less of a budget) and to his strained relationship with
4876-421: The most-watched series premiere episode of any AMC television series. The first-season finale received 6 million viewers, a season high; with 4 million viewers in the 18-49 demographic, making it the most watched basic cable series for the demographic. The first season had an average of 5.24 million viewers and a rating of 2.7 in the 18-49 demographic. In the United Kingdom, it premiered one week after it did in
4968-412: The movie Stand by Me , offered Darabont $ 2.5 million in an attempt to write and direct Shawshank . He planned to cast Tom Cruise in the part of Andy and Harrison Ford as Red. Darabont seriously considered and liked Reiner's vision, but he ultimately decided it was his "chance to do something really great" by directing the film himself. Although the film did not fare well at the box office, it
5060-400: The origins of the walker virus. Robert Kirkman , who created the comic book series in 2003, says he had considered the idea of a Walking Dead television series, but never actively pursued it. "I certainly wanted it to happen, just because I knew it would be good for the book... I'm certainly not against adaptations, like some creators." When Frank Darabont became interested in adapting
5152-421: The other movies he has loved throughout his life. The film received mixed reviews from critics and bombed at the box-office, recouping only half of its $ 72 million budget internationally. Darabont had originally wanted to direct The Mist even before he directed The Shawshank Redemption , but kept pushing it back. It was 2004 before he began to write the screenplay for the film. Most of the crew that worked on
5244-412: The overcrowded zombie subgenre." Following the pilot episode's debut, TV Guide ' s Matt Roush called the show "a stark and harrowing survival parable ... visually stunning ... and daring in its artful use of silence." Following the second episode, Simon Abrams from Slant Magazine awarded the show three and a half stars out of a possible four; "To say that Darabont has kicked his series off with
5336-612: The pilot episode of Raines , starring Jeff Goldblum . Darabont appeared in "First Class Jerk", the October 26, 2008, episode of Entourage in which he propositions Vincent Chase to star in a TV show he is executive producing. He appeared in a September 12, 2009, episode where he is now the director of the film about Enzo Ferrari , who Vince is portraying. According to the Battlestar Galactica : The Official Companion series by Titan Books , Darabont—a huge fan of
5428-406: The re-imagined series—was slated to direct " Islanded in a Stream of Stars ", the penultimate episode of the show's final season. Due to scheduling conflicts, he was unable to take the job, which fell to series star (and previous helmer) Edward James Olmos . Darabont was slated to direct the 2009 film Law Abiding Citizen , but left production due to creative differences with the producers. At
5520-549: The same-old same-old or rewriting something I had already done and trying to make it interesting for myself. It was really an entirely new story: getting the gang members in there and getting to write Daryl [...] which is one of my favorite characters on the show, despite the fact that he's not in the comic book. It was a blast. Alongside the main cast, the episode introduced Vatos band, composed by Neil Brown Jr. as Guillermo, Noel G. as Felipe, Anthony Guajardo as Miguel, Gina Morelli as Abuela, and James Gonzaba as Jorge. The rest of
5612-405: The scenes featurettes—"Zombie School", "Bicycle Girl", "On Set with Robert Kirkman", "Hanging with Steven Yeun", "Inside Dale's RV" and "On Set with Andrew Lincoln". A three-disc special edition of the first season was released on DVD and Blu-ray on October 4, 2011. The sets include all the previous special features, plus brand new extras. The new extras include audio commentary on all six episodes,
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#17327914120485704-501: The screen. It got rephrased and messed with every inch of the way." Guillermo del Toro has shown interest in adapting Darabont's draft of the Frankenstein script when he gets around to filming his own version of the story, calling the draft a "near perfect" adaptation of the original book. In 2004, he was hired by Tom Cruise to write Mission: Impossible III , but the script was later rewritten by J. J. Abrams , who directed
5796-460: The screen." John Griffiths, writing for Us Weekly , felt the installment was haunting enough to "make viewers leave their lights on afterward", and opined that the character development and the progression of the storylines served as the episode's highlights. John Serba of The Grand Rapids Press stated that "Vatos" was the most emotionally poignant episode of The Walking Dead so far. Expressing similar sentiments, IGN 's Eric Goldman evaluated
5888-402: The screenplay, The Green Mile , starring Tom Hanks . At first Darabont was reluctant to adapt the novel as a film, as its setting was too similar to Shawshank , but quickly changed his mind after reading the novel. Hanks and Darabont first met at an Academy Award luncheon in 1994, and the two were eager to work on a project together. Stephen King said he had envisioned Hanks in the role and
5980-414: The script for the 2014 Godzilla reboot. Darabont stated that he would like to bring the monster back to his origins as a "terrifying force of nature." The director of the film Gareth Edwards stated in an interview that Darabont wrote the most moving scene of the film and that particular scene helped convince cast members Bryan Cranston and Juliette Binoche to sign onto the film. In June 2014, it
6072-564: The script of A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors , with Russell directing the film. The two were given only two weeks to rewrite the script and accomplished it in ten days. The success of their A Nightmare on Elm Street film allowed them to produce the first script they had originally written, The Blob . By then considered a successful writer for hire, Darabont was commissioned to write The Fly II , an early draft of The Rocketeer , and an unproduced sequel to Commando . Darabont made his directorial debut with Buried Alive ,
6164-436: The season by writing, "the characters are worth caring about" despite "occasional stilted monologues, quick tempers and unfortunate stereotypes". Some reviews were mixed, including one from Kofi Outlaw of Screen Rant who concluded, "The Walking Dead still hasn't really defined itself as anything more than a vague survival story about the human condition" but added, "you can be sure I'm one of those Dead-heads already chomping at
6256-407: The season's six episodes and directed the pilot episode, " Days Gone Bye ", the series is based on the eponymous series of comic books by Robert Kirkman , Tony Moore , and Charlie Adlard . It was executive produced by Darabont, Kirkman, David Alpert, Charles H. Eglee , and Gale Anne Hurd , with Darabont assuming the role of showrunner . The season received very positive reviews by critics. It
6348-421: The series. "I was pretty happy that the first death in the show was in an episode that I got to write," he stated. "That was kind of cool." The episode's script was heavily modified by Kirkman and series creator Frank Darabont prior to airing. Neil Brown, Jr. initially collaborated with producers on directing the episode but eventually pulled out of the project. Principal photography for the episode transpired at
6440-401: The shelf in 2005. "Being that I've always had "the love of zombies genre," I of course grabbed it, took it home and read it, and immediately started pursuing the rights to it. I thought it would make a great TV show... I loved the idea of an extended, ongoing, serialized dramatic presentation set in the zombie apocalypse." He described the process of developing the series and getting it set up at
6532-400: The show is to the comic and remark on the similarities between the actors and the comic's original character drawings. Several scenes from " Days Gone Bye " were screened July 23, 2010 as part of the 2010 San Diego Comic-Con . Hurd asserted that "[they] really are doing six one-hour movie", and Darabont insisted that the series would closely reflect the development in the comics. "The path is
6624-423: The show, I was like, 'Yeah, I'll believe it when I see it.' And then when AMC was like, 'We're picking up the show,' I was like, 'Yeah, alright, whatever.' When they actually started shooting the pilot I was like, 'Well, this is kind of real, this is neat.' But when they called me and said, 'Your show's on the cover of Entertainment Weekly ,' I think that was the first time I was like, 'Oh my god, I can't believe this
6716-430: The source material and Darabont's involvement. Darabont wrote and directed the pilot and was executive producer of the first season, along with Gale Anne Hurd . The series features a number of actors who have regularly worked with Darabont in the past, including Jeffrey DeMunn , Laurie Holden and Melissa McBride . The series earned positive reviews upon release and the pilot attracted 5.3 million viewers, making it
6808-542: The story itself anywhere in particular", though he admits the fifth episode showed "flashes of promise". Season 1 (2010) : Percentage of positive critics' reviews tracked by the website Rotten Tomatoes The first season of The Walking Dead was named one of the Top 10 Television Programs in 2010 by the American Film Institute . The season was also nominated for Outstanding New Program at
6900-538: The stump of his hand before finding out that he escaped the building, resulting in the trail going cold. At the survivors' camp, Jim begins digging holes, refusing to explain why. As the survivors press him, he lashes back at them, forcing Shane Walsh to restrain Jim. Jim breaks down, explaining how he lost his family to walkers, and that a dream inspired him to dig the holes. Jim warns Lori Grimes to keep her son Carl safe. In Atlanta, Rick's group comes into conflict with
6992-420: The survivors in a nearby quarry lake, discussing their childhood and hopes that Florida , where their parents live, was not hit as hard by the zombie epidemic. In Atlanta , Rick, Daryl , Glenn , and T-Dog have discovered the severed hand of Merle, Daryl's brother, where Rick had handcuffed him on the roof of a store. They follow a trail of blood to show Merle had killed some walkers and managed to cauterize
7084-567: The survivors', and they start to race on foot back to the camp. At the camp, the other survivors are enjoying dinner when a horde of walkers suddenly appear, biting several of the members including Amy and Ed Peletier. Rick and the others arrive in time to quell the walkers. Amy dies in Andrea's arms, and as the others stand around in shock, Jim recalls why he had dug those holes. "Vatos" was directed by Johan Renck and written by Robert Kirkman ; this episode became Kirkman's first writing credit for
7176-435: The writing team, along with Robert Kirkman, also an executive producer. "I have the best of both worlds", says Kirkman. "It was a lot of fun writing Episode 104, and I'm hoping if it continues into Season 2, I'll be able to write more episodes". Principal photography for the pilot episode, " Days Gone Bye ", began on May 15, 2010 with the subsequent five episodes beginning filming a few weeks later on June 2. The first season
7268-637: Was a script doctor for the Steven Spielberg films Saving Private Ryan and Minority Report . In 2002, he wrote an early draft of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull . While Spielberg reportedly loved it, George Lucas rejected it. He also produced the 2002 film The Salton Sea , starring Val Kilmer and Vincent D'Onofrio . Over the years Darabont has reunited with his old writing partner Chuck Russell . He did
7360-466: Was a producer on Hell Night and The Seduction ) with an offer to become his writing partner, as he had become interested in Darabont's writing after reading his spec script written for the television series M*A*S*H . The two began working on a script for a remake of the film The Blob , which they had planned to shop around to studios. That was interrupted when they were both hired to rewrite
7452-444: Was filmed in and around Atlanta , Georgia where the episodes were primarily set. The first season features seven actors receiving opening credits billing: The series features several actors Walking Dead developer Frank Darabont has worked with previously, including Laurie Holden , Jeffrey DeMunn , Melissa McBride and Juan Pareja . All four appeared in his 2007 film The Mist , along with Samuel Witwer , who appeared as
7544-402: Was given a full season order of six episodes in the fall of 2012 and the title of the series was changed to Mob City . The series premiered in December 2013 and was met with mixed to positive reviews. The series was cancelled after one season. Darabont also held the rights to two other Stephen King stories, The Long Walk and The Monkey , neither of which he ever adapted. Darabont
7636-471: Was happy when Darabont mentioned his name. The film was nominated for the Oscar for Best Picture , and Darabont was nominated for his second Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. This was originally the highest-grossing film based on a Stephen King novel, as it made a total of $ 286,801,374 worldwide (before being surpassed by 2017's It when it made $ 603 million worldwide.) In 2001 Darabont directed
7728-430: Was hired to do the film's special effects after Darabont asked fellow director Guillermo del Toro who did the effects on his film Pan's Labyrinth . The film was a modest success at the box office, but earned positive reviews from critics. King also praised Darabont's new ending, saying, "The ending is such a jolt—wham! It's frightening. But people who go to see a horror movie don't necessarily want to be sent out with
7820-452: Was met with acclaim by audiences and critics. The film was nominated for seven Academy Awards , including Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay for Darabont. The film attracted additional viewers after its Academy Award nominations, and became the most rented film of 1995. Today it is considered by many to be one of the greatest films ever made . Darabont's next directorial effort was another Stephen King adaptation for which he wrote
7912-527: Was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series – Drama at the 68th Golden Globe Awards and received nominations for the 63rd Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards in several categories, winning Outstanding Prosthetic Makeup for a Series, Miniseries, Movie, or Special . The pilot episode received 5.35 million viewers, and the finale garnered six million viewers, including four million viewers among adults ages 18–49, making it
8004-487: Was released on DVD and Blu-ray in region 1 on March 8, 2011, and in region 2 on May 16, 2011. Special features on the sets include six featurettes—"The Making of The Walking Dead ", "Inside The Walking Dead : Episode 1–6", "A Sneak Peek with Robert Kirkman", "Behind the Scenes Zombie Make-Up Tips", "Convention Panel with Producers" and " The Walking Dead Trailer". Also included are other behind
8096-409: Was released, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein , which Darabont wrote, was also released. The film was met with mixed reviews and Darabont called it the worst experience in his career as a writer as he had considered it the best script he had ever written, but that director Kenneth Branagh ruined it "every step of the way". He went on to say that "you can't really judge the script based on what you saw on
8188-523: Was reported that Darabont was on the shortlist to direct The Huntsman: Winter's War , a sequel to the fantasy film Snow White and the Huntsman . A month later it was confirmed that Darabont would direct the film, but it would not be a sequel, but a prequel focusing on Chris Hemsworth 's character Eric, the Huntsman. However, Darabont left the project in January 2015, citing creative differences as
8280-486: Was unable to find financing. In addition to collaborating with actors on films and television projects, Darabont has collaborated with writers, producers, composers, and others. These include Chuck Russell , Mark Isham , Stephen King , Gregory Nicotero , Rohn Schmidt , David Tattersall , and others. Jeffrey DeMunn appeared in The Blob and Black Cat Run , both of which Darabont wrote, Alexa Davalos appeared in
8372-481: Was very emotional on set and I know that she was very upset about having to leave the crew and the actors. You kind of become a family when you're doing a TV show and it's a little upsetting to have to get rid of somebody. A deleted scene shows Rick and crew revisiting the Vatos, but finds everyone dead, including the old people. Another gang had overrun the Vatos, killed everyone inside, and stolen their food and supplies "Vatos" originally aired on November 21, 2010 in
8464-464: Was working at the famed Grauman's Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood. He served at the concession stand and as an usher, and was grateful for the perk of getting to watch numerous films for free. He claims he developed his writing skills from "endless hours" of writing at a desk on a typewriter in his free time, and from his childhood friend Cody Hills. Darabont became involved in filmmaking by becoming
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