‘The Walking Dead’s Robert Kirkman Inks Overall Deal With Amazon Studios

As part of its expansion into science fiction, fantasy and horror programming, Amazon Studios has brought into the fold horror master Robert Kirkman, who is behind one of the biggest series on television, AMC’s The Walking Dead.

Amazon has closed an overall deal with Kirkman and a first-look deal with Kirkman’s Skybound Entertainment, which he co-founded by longtime collaborator David Alpert. Under the pact, Kirkman and Skybound will develop television projects for Prime Video. Skybound’s co-presidents of film and television, Bryan and Sean Furst, will oversee the Amazon projects in conjunction with Kirkman and Alpert.

Kirkman is coming off an overall deal at AMC where he and Skybound have two series, The Walking Dead, based on Kirkman’s graphic novel, and companion Fear the Walking Dead, which he co-created. Kirkman also created the horror drama Outcast, whose first season aired on Cinemax.

“Robert is a gifted storyteller who shares our passion for elevated genre storytelling that pushes boundaries,” said Sharon Tal Yguado, Head of Event Series, Amazon Studios. “Robert and the team at Skybound are some of the most innovative and fearless creatives in the business. Together, we plan to explore immersive worlds and bold ideas for Prime Video.”

Tal Yguado, who joined Amazon in January, has a long history with Kirkman. As EVP Global Scripted Programming at Fox Networks Group and Head of Fox International Studios, she supervised The Walking Dead for the Fox International Channels and developed Outcast, which the company produced and distributed internationally.

“At Skybound Entertainment we strive to tell the best stories in the most unique and creative ways in an effort to always break new ground,” said Kirkman. “A forward thinking company like Amazon is the perfect home for us. Sharon Tal Yguado has been an instrumental force in the success of Walking Dead and Outcast from day one. Being able to not only continue that relationship, but also expand it into new territory with the vast resources of Amazon, means great things are ahead for myself, David Alpert, Skybound and fans of awesome entertainment.”

Kirkman had been at AMC since the 2010 launch of blockbuster drama The Walking Dead. In addition to executive producing TWD and FTWD, Kirkman also serves as consulting producer of The Talking Dead aftershow on AMC and executive produces the AMC series Robert Kirkman’s Secret History of Comics as well as the pre-apocalyptic drama, Five Year, that is being developed for multiple territories including Germany, India, Brazil, and Italy. In features, Kirkman will produce Invincible based on his long-running comic book. The project will be written, directed and produced by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg for Universal Pictures. Moving into the digital content space, Skybound produced the first-ever narrative VR series, GONE, for Samsung’s Milk VR platform and in 2017 will produce VR horror series Lies Within, which is the first project out of Skybound’s partnership with interactive theatrical company Delusion.