Robert Kirkman's comic "The Walking Dead" is poised to find life as a new AMC series helmed by director Frank Darabont.

AMC is close to wrapping a development deal with Darabont ("The Mist," "The Green Mile," "The Shawshank Redemption") to write and direct the Image Comics graphic novel series, which poignantly documents a group of survivors attempting to make a life amidst a zombie apocalypse. Nine editions of the novels have been published since 2003.

Gale Anne Hurd of Valhalla Motion Pictures and David Alpert of Circle of Confusion will executive produce.

The quality of the storytelling in Kirkman's work was a key factor to attracting AMC to the project, according to Joel Stillerman, the network's senior vice president of programming, production and original content.

"The series will stay faithful to the tone of the original novels," he said. "This is not about zombies popping out of closets. This is a story about survival, and the dynamics of what happens when a group is forced to survive under these circumstances. The world [in 'The Walking Dead'] is portrayed in a smart, sophisticated way."

Another key to AMC's interest is the popularity of their annual Halloween movie "Fear Fest."

"We've got an audience that loves this kind of material," Stillerman explained.

Moreover, Darabont and Hurd's involvement made the project a must-have for the network, Stillerman said.



"These are two world-class filmmakers who are also brilliant storytellers with experience in the fantasy genre," he said.