An Animated Walking Dead Series Would Be A Tough Sell (Despite Comic Creator’s Approval)

Robert Kirkman shared that animation would be best for a faithful Walking Dead adaptation, but the AMC show’s appeal could make this difficult.

Custom image of Daryl Dixon from AMC's Walking Dead with comic book images of Rick Grimes around him

Summary

  • An animated series of The Walking Dead would differ significantly from the live-action AMC series, excluding beloved characters and relationships from the TV adaptation.
  • Robert Kirkman, the comic creator, has expressed an animated adaptation of The Walking Dead would be most faithful to the comics, with his animated series adaptation of Invincible as a precedent.
  • While the live-action series has deviated from the comics, allowing for the creation of popular characters and spinoffs, an animated adaptation would provide a more faithful version of the story and address relationships left unexplored.

An animated series of The Walking Dead might be a challenge after 11 seasons of storytelling in the live-action AMC series, even though the comic creator Robert Kirkman has voiced his approval of a potential faithful adaptation. The Walking Dead comics span 193 issues, with the last main plotline being about a world much different than fans of the show are used to, since an adult Carl Grimes and his wife Sophia and daughter Andrea live in the Commonwealth. This provides a glimpse into how an animated series’ plot would differ from the AMC series.

Kirkman’s animated adaptation of the Invincible comic series sets a precedent. Therefore, it’s unsurprising that Kirkman says a faithful Walking Dead comic adaptation would be best as an animation. This isn’t to say he disapproves of any changes from the Walking Dead comics in the live-action series. He admitted some parts of the show that most excite him are the ones that deviate from the comics. Whether an animated series came to be, the large fan support for the live-action Walking Dead‘s show-only elements would pose a challenge.

Daryl Dixon holding his crossbow in The Walking Dead Daryl Dixon episode 5
The Walking Dead’s Future Is Breaking A Massive Rule From The Comics

The Walking Dead breaks a rule from the comics by explaining the origin of the zombie virus, but this is necessary as the franchise expands.

The Animated Walking Dead Series Would Be Too Different From The AMC Series

Beloved characters and relationships from the live-action adaptation would be excluded.

The Walking Dead deviates from the comics throughout the 11 seasons. For instance, Judith and Lori are shot down by a soldier during The Governor’s invasion in the comics, which means Cailey Fleming’s Judith is show-only, as well as RJ’s character. Furthermore, a major relationship that wouldn’t be included is Rick and Michonne’s. Their popularity is clear since they are leading an upcoming spinoff The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live.

Other character additions include Beth and Sasha, meaning audiences would miss out on Daryl and Beth’s dynamic, Sasha and Tyreese’s sibling relationship, and Sasha’s sacrifice, which is one of the most unexpected ways to save the day in The Walking Dead, since she helped distract Negan so Rick’s group could attack. Most notably, Daryl is an AMC creation, so his actions – like setting fire to the lake to save Alexandria – wouldn’t have happened. Because of this and Carol’s early death in the comics, their fan-favorite friendship wouldn’t exist either. Thus, AMC’s deviations helped facilitate spinoffs centered around popular characters and storylines, like Carol joining Daryl Dixon season 2.

The three main upcoming Walking Dead spinoff characters: Rick & Michonne, Daryl Dixon, and Negan & Maggie.
Walking Dead Timeline Explained: When All 7 Shows Take Place

The Walking Dead takes place across 7 shows, covering multiple seasons and years of storytelling. Here’s the complete TWD timeline explained.

One Reason The Animated Walking Dead Series Could Still Be A Hit

As a more faithful adaptation, the show would provide an alternate version of the story.

Rick Grimes and Carl Grimes The Walking Dead

While it’s clear the live-action Walking Dead was able to build relationships and characters fans still gravitated toward, some behind-the-scenes factors may have hurt the momentum of these stories. Namely, major fan-favorite characters were written out of the series, whether by request or otherwise. For instance, Carl dies in season 8, whereas he lives long into adulthood and features in the most recent issue of the comics. Rick leaves in season 9, yet he’s actively involved in the Whisperer War in the comics. An animated Walking Dead series that’s faithful to the comics could allow fans to watch alternate stories play out more conclusively.

Additionally, there’s the added benefit of animation being much less impacted by the actors’ schedules since the visual elements of the show would not be dependent on them. Moreover, the faithful comic adaptation would also be able to address relationships left unexplored, such as Jesus and Aaron’s. While The Walking Dead‘s animated series could be interesting because it can explore untapped stories, the popularity of the characters and relationships from the live-action and the spinoffs that resulted from it could make the animation a risk, especially without enough demand.

Related Posts

Former 49ers defensive player says QB Brock Purdy “is here to stay”

Logan Ryan appeared in five regular season games for the San Francisco 49ers in 2023. He started two of them. Ryan also played in all three of…

RHOBH: Annemarie Wiley Says She Spoke to One of Crystal “14 Friends,” Calls Her Actions “Pure Evil” and Suggests Crystal’s Living Her “Karma,” See Her Scathing Post

Annemarie Wiley shared she met another member of Crystal Kung Minkoff’s “14 friends” who “dropped her,” hinted that “what she did” to them was “pure evil,” and suggested she’s…

RHONY’s Jenna Lyons Thinks Kyle Richards is “Coming Over” to Her Team and Wants to Style the RHOBH Star Amid Morgan Wade Romance Rumors

Jenna Lyons revealed she would most like to style Kyle Richards because she believes the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star is “coming over to [her] team.”…

Why Fans Are Focused on Kyle Richards’ Massive Cushion Cut Engagement Ring

People have been paying attention to the RHOBH cast member’s rings amid her separation from Mauricio Umansky.  There’s been a lot of chatter about Kyle Richards and her engagement and wedding…

Lisa Rinna Would ‘Love to Play a Murderer’ After Starring as a ‘Crazy’ Parent in Mommy Meanest (Exclusive)

In the Lifetime movie, Rinna stars as a woman who sends her own daughter anonymous, bullying text messages After Lisa Rinna exited The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills in early 2023,…

REPORT: Paul “PK” Kemsley Storms Off After Chat With Mauricio Umansky, and Steps Out Looking “Frazzled” to Film RHOBH Season 14 Amid Separation, See Video as Insider Speaks on Marriage & Split From Dorit Kemsley

Paul “PK” Kemsley was spotted filming for the upcoming 14th season of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills on Thursday at The Henry in West Hollywood, California — just as he and his…

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *