PRODUCER CLAIMS AMC COOKED ITS WALKING DEAD BOOKS

Frank Darabont, who created The Walking Dead, has filed a lawsuit against the AMC network, claiming that the network — which fired him without public explanation after the first season — cheated him out of millions of dollars. In the suit, first reported by The Hollywood Reporter, Darabont claims that AMC essentially contrived to cook its books so that no profits were declared, thereby preventing profit participants from receiving any funds. His suit claims that AMC maintains that the series has actually lost money through its first two seasons, despite ratings success. In its report on the lawsuit, today’s (Wednesday) New York Times observed, “That success is undeniable. The show has averaged almost 13 million viewers this year, with the biggest ratings in all of television among the group most sought by advertisers, viewers between the ages of 18 and 49.”