Amidst the rumors and controversy surrounding former "The Walking Dead" showrunner Glen Mazzara's split with the show, Mazzara himself has finally gone on record about why he's leaving his position with the hit AMC drama.
And it's about time. Inquiring minds are simply dying to know.
Unfortunately for us, Mazzara's take on the situation is pretty underwhelming, and it seems to mesh pretty well with Robert Kirkman and AMC's explanation of the split. It seems the whole thing was genuinely because of "artistic differences" between the network, Mazzara, and TWD creator Robert Kirkman.
Regarding his promotion after original showrunner Frank Darabont was forced to leave the show, Mazzara said:
"I was sort of the hired gun coming in to support the creator of the show, and through odd circumstances I ended up becoming showrunner. [...] You had to sort of grab the wheel as if we were going through a storm, and I’m happy to say I was able to contribute and we got through the storm. But when I think people involved with the show are looking at the long-term plan, they want something different -- and what those differences are, you would have to ask AMC.”
At the end of the day, though, it became too hard for Mazzara to please everyone, according to The Hollywood Reporter. There were too many visions involved with where the show was headed, too many cooks in the kitchen. Mazzara goes on to say:
“There’s no way you can take every note [from writers and producers]. There’s no way you can make everybody happy. So I'd just sort of go through and do a rewrite on the entire script trying to include all of those different voices, all of those different perspectives. [...] At the end of the day, though, you’re never going to get consensus. So that’s where I have to say, 'I feel this is the best possible script.' … At the end of the day, somebody has to make the call. Otherwise, it’s just chaos."
Mazzara's stepping down might be the best thing for the show as far as Robert Kirkman and AMC are concerned, but it sounds less like a mutual decision and more like Mazzara was forced into a difficult situation... and then rapidly forced out of it.
Mazzara replaced TWD's original showrunner and producer, Frank Darabont, early on in the second season. Darabont was summarily fired from the network after heated arguments about the show's budget and scope.
The new showrunner for "The Walking Dead" will be Scott M. Gimple, who is currently supervising producer on the series. Gimple will begin his work with season four. He is the third showrunner to grace the series in its three-season history.
We are the walking dead: The Walking Dead" is currently in its mid-season break. It will return this February 10th in its usual Sunday night time slot at 9 p.m. for more zombie mayhem and madness.
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