The real reason for Frank Darabont’s TWD “Developed by” credit?

Question

There’s no confusion about the origin of The Walking Dead. The Walking Dead was a monthly black-and-white American comic that started in 2003, and was created and written by Robert Kirkman with artist Tony Moore. The comic is published by Image Comics and Skybound Entertainment. Frank Darabont had no role in its creation, yet is credited on The Walking Dead television series as its developer.

Most reports in reporting the show’s development summarize in limited fashion that Frank Darabont licensed Kirkman’s The Walking Dead for AMC.

However, what Frank Darabont apparently was long developing for many years, was a “zombie television series” which may have been wholly independent of Kirkman’s The Walking Dead license/property.

Some reports identify elements of Darabont’s zombie TV show as a detective procedural, where two detectives solve zombie crime of the week.

Quartz has a decent story about Darabont’s development: https://qz.com/1028663/the-walking-dead-was-passed-on-by-all-these-networks-it-went-on-to-become-the-highest-rated-show-on-us-tv/

However, even this report states:

“NBC initially developed The Walking Dead’s script as part of an agreement with Darabont for two blank scripts…”

Is its use of “The Walking Dead’s script…” essentially revisionist here? Were Darabont’s scripts at the time Darabont developed them not necessarily TWD scripts, but rather for a zombie television show unaffiliated with The Walking Dead brand?

Apparently, although some reports vary, Darabont’s development finally became an adaptation of Kirkman’s The Walking Dead once it was greenlit at AMC.

Does anyone know the full story of Darabont’s pre-TWD “zombie television series,” for example how long Darabont might have been developing the concept, any more detailed premise, or more precisely at what point in time it united with Kirkman’s property?

What was Darabont’s original [zombie] project that he started developing?

Answer 1

I'm afraid I can't read very far into your QZ.com article due to the requirement for a subscription. The closest match I've found to your description is that Elizabeth Hurd stated that Darabont initially brought his proposal to adapt The Walking Dead to NBC, and their response was to request him to make it a procedural.

According to Hurd, their response was, "Do there have to be zombies [in it]." NBC then asked Darabont if the show could be a procedural in which the two main protagonists would "solve a zombie crime of the week," she said.

Whereupon, he took it to AMC and they agreed to his adaptation. Admittedly, this is the same quote in almost every case, which might suggest that, as you said, this is a lazy summary, but it's the only mention I've found of the procedural idea.

As for his involvement, he wrote four of the six episodes of the first season before he was fired, the reasons for which are a bit murky due to the settlement. AMC claims that it was due to his difficulties to adjusting to a TV filming schedule. Darabont's lawyers suggested that it was instead about cutting costs, including that his contract had his salary going up with subsequent seasons.

According to Kirkman, Darabont started pitching it around 2005:

How long has Frank Darabont been attached to this project? I’ve read a few things that make it sound like he’s been on board going back to pitching this project to other networks (like NBC) before AMC picked it up…

Yeah, it’s been a long time. I don’t remember the exact year. I want to say 2005. He’s been attached off and on. He was always kind of in the picture, always trying to make it happen. The NBC thing didn’t work out, but we kept in touch. I would have dinner with him every year in San Diego. He did The Mist, and while he was doing The Mist he kind of took some time off from trying to get The Walking Dead made. But he’s been attached in some way for awhile. He told me early on, ‘Don’t worry, man. I’m going to get this thing made. I really care about this. I really love it.’ And you don’t know a guy. You’re from Kentucky and you’re meeting Hollywood people. I’m kind of like, ‘Yeah, all right, buddy. That’s real nice of you to say, but I know how things work. You’re probably just blowing smoke up my ass.’ But to Frank’s credit, he’s never really steered me wrong. He’s always come through on his promises. It’s really kind of impressive. So he pulled it off.

Answer 2

Darabont Details His Development in His Initial 2013 Lawsuit Against AMC

A. Darabont develops The Walking Dead for Television In 2005, Darabont and Bruce Vinokour (“Vinokour”), Darabont’s agent at CAA, met with the president of the NBC television network regarding Darabont’s desire to develop multiple television series. Thereafter, NBC and Darabont entered into an agreement in which Darabont would write two scripts for NBC. Darabont pitched the network his idea about developing Robert Kirkman’s graphic novel series The Walking Dead into a television series. Darabont had found this graphic novel series previously and had met with Kirkman about his ideas. His concept for a TV series was well received at NBC, and they hired him to write a pilot script. But when Darabont submitted his first draft, NBC decided to pass on the project.

Darabont’s “developed by” credit is essentially a finder’s reward. After reading Kirkman’s The Walking Dead comic series in 2005 at a time he was interested in moving into television, he recognized its potential and took the initiative to secure the television option from Kirkman, and then along with Bruce Vinokour of CAA to pitch it to studios. In 2005, Kirkman had not yet had Invincibles or Battle Pope go to series, and let Darabont run with it. With NBC’s rejection, the option lapsed between 2005 and 2009 allowing HBO to attempt their own TWD adaptation. Ultimately, it was Vinokour who facilitated AMC to secure the option from Kirkman, and brought Darabont aboard.

To my original question, Darabont’s Vulture interview alludes to idea that Darabont may have been initially intending a film, before reading Kirkman’s The Walking Dead comic, realizing its potential as a series, and so, there still may be an untold zombie project:

”It really suggested to me the possibility of not movies, but a television series. So the very next day I called my agent and we started pursuing the rights to it.” https://www.vulture.com/2010/10/the_walking_dead_creator_frank.html

But to the origin of Darabont’s zombie television project, it’s always been an adaptation of Kirkman’s The Walking Dead since its 2005 origin.