Surprisingly, this has been getting relatively little coverage, but there is a fine little company, appropriately called Rising Productions, which has worked with writer/director David Sasich to create Lifeless--the first episodic TV series about a zombie apocalypse. Though popular in film for decades, especially in recent years, no one had tried adapting the concept to a weekly format, probably due in large part to the restraints imposed by TV.
But these intrepid souls put their heads together and actually filmed three episodes of the series, which were recently screened in New York at the Independent TV Festival. They also released a new full-length trailer last month. Check this out, people:
Mind-blowing, yes? The definition of must-see TV, right? Ah, but here's the catch: The show has yet to find a distributor. Meaning, not one network thus far has bellied up to the bar to greenlight the project. Sasich and company are still shopping it around, and according to a recent report on DreadCentral, they are making some promising headway. But nothing as of yet.
Mind-boggling, isn't it? Maybe it's because of the zombie over-saturation as of late. Or maybe it could just be squeamish network execs. I mean, a show like this probably wouldn't work running on FOX after House. But there are a lot of other options in today's TV landscape. Tell me this show wouldn't be a perfect fit for HBO, for example. I've long held that Robert Kirkman's Walking Dead comic book is a prime candidate for HBO adaptation, but this would certainly fit the bill as well. Maybe Sci-Fi Channel. Maybe Showtime. Maybe AMC. But someone has to come to their senses and make this thing happen. Hopefully.
6 comments:
Hopefully this'll get picked up sooner or later, it would be a pity if it wasn't.
Definitely agree with you on The Walking Dead as a prime candidate for a TV series.
Its a valiant attempt, but it doesnt have a shred of originality :P The Walking Dead + premium cable would be a match made in heaven though. Lifeless is a far stretch from TWD, however.
The Walking Dead has its flaws, but Kirkman proved that you could sustain a zombie story episodically, and so it could easily be adapted for TV. As for Lifeless, yes the premise is derivative, but the thing that makes it interesting is that its a continuing story, not something that would be wrapped up in two hours. I find that very compelling.
I started reading The Walking Dead again from the start. It really is one of the best comics I've read in my life. Rarely a fault with it.
Spike is definitely an option too, I hadn't even thought of them.
I reckon it would not be the first ever, the british Dead Set was aired last year, even tough it was only a mini-series. A really good one, by the way.
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