‘Walking Dead’ gets shake up as Glen Mazzara exits, renewed for season 4
AMC’s hit series “The Walking Dead” wraps up the midseason finale and news of a fourth season was released as well as more shocking news – the exit of producer Glen Mazzara.
AMC has announced that the massively popular zombie drama will be returning for a fourth year, but without executive producer Glen Mazzara running the series. TV Line cites creative differences between Mazzara and AMC, leading to the show runner’s “amicable” departure.
“Glen guided the series creatively for seasons 2 and 3,” reads a statement from the network.
“AMC is grateful for his hard work. We are both proud of our shared success. Both parties acknowledge that there is a difference of opinion about where the show should go moving forward, and conclude that it is best to part ways. This decision is amicable and Glen will remain on for post-production on season 3B as showrunner and executive producer.”
Mazzara confirmed the news on Twitter, saying, “I’ve had an amazing experience as showrunner for S3 @WalkingDead_AMC but it’s time to move on. Thank you to all the fans for their support. The #WalkingDead fans are absolutely amazing. I cannot thank you enough for your support. Thank you to an immensely talented cast and crew.”
Series creator Robert Kirkman, meanwhile, issued his own statement, saying, “I am in full support of both AMC and Glen Mazzara in the decision they have come to and believe the parties came to this decision in the best interest of the future of the show. I thank Glen for his hard work and appreciate his many contributions to The Walking Dead and look forward to working with him as we complete post production on Season 3. I am also excited to begin work on another spectacular season of this show that I know means so much to so many people. This show has always been the result of a wide range of extremely talented men and women working tirelessly to produce their best work collectively. I believe the future is bright for The Walking Dead. Thank you to the fans for your continued support.”
Frank Darabont was removed from the show shortly before the second season premiere.
“Walking Dead” has always been a ratings powerhouse but much of its recent critical acclaim has been attributed to Mazzara’s work running the series.
[…] continued to reassure fans that the exit of Glen Mazzara won’t negatively effect the […]
[…] months after the Walking Dead exit, creator Glen Mazzara has inked a deal with Fox TV Studios to launch his production company’s […]
[…] Walking Dead has been renewed for a 4th season, but show runner Glenn Mazzara is leaving the show over a difference of creative direction. That’s too bad, as I thought he fixed a lot of […]