Ever since AMC announced that a spin-off based from "The Walking Dead" is hitting television screens soon, numerous speculations began to surface. While it was confirmed that the new show would indeed touch on the TV adaptation of the popular comic book, the creator behind it clarified that it would not follow the same path of the comic book.
Series creator Robert Kirkman made the announcement himself. The comic book writer was a guest at a "Creative Activisim" panel for South by Southwest (SXSW) when he clarified the news, said IGN.
Kirkman was asked how the new show would be connected with the current "The Walking Dead" series, and he was pretty clear that it is very different from the hit TV show.
In a report in Entertainment Weekly, the writer-producer said, "It's not going to relate to the comics at all."
He further added, "From the beginning of the show one thing we've heard is, 'What's going on over here or there.' So the intent of the new show is to expand that world and show another corner of the United States and what's happening there."
The new series timeline is actually different from "The Walking Dead." Morever, it is reportedly set at an earlier time.
Kirkman continued, "Rick Grimes woke up from a coma and was like, 'Oh, man, zombies, weird!' We're going to possibly see that unfold a little more in the show."
In spite of the related timeline, the comic book creator was quick to stress that the new show is not a prequel to "The Walking Dead."
"But I wouldn't call it a 'prequel,' because the entirety of the show is not going to take place before 'The Walking Dead.' It will eventually form a path running concurrently," noted Kirkman.
However, the creator noted that fans could expect characters from the other show to be seen in the spinoff but they will still have their own understandable story without the need to watch "The Walking Dead."
"It's standing on its own. You can watch it by itself and get your own experience," said the series creator.
The new series by AMC has yet to begin but reports confirmed that it was given a go-signal for two seasons. Its first episode would premiere in late summer but no actual date was given.
Actors Cliff Richards and Kim Dickens are confirmed to star in the series.
