Frank Darabont was unhappy with the way that things were going during his association with the “Walking Dead” in 2011. He sent an email to producers after production of the first episode in season two. From there, problems escalated. The problem, according to Darabont was that he believed that he was not being treated fairly in profit participation of the hit show. The contracts agreed to for the 2010-11 seasons contained objectionable elements and Darabont has taken legal action, seeking remedy. The first lawsuit occurred in 2013 nd the case is still pending and is expected to go to court towards the end of August. He was fired in 2011 for what AMC execs cited as “erratic and unprofessional performance.” Does “Walking Dead” need him back? We don’t believe that they do, and here are the reasons why.
AMC was justified in his dismissal
Darabont sent an email that was heavily laden with foul language and threats of bodily harm against writers and producers. This shows unprofessionalism and has given the network sufficient grounds for dismissal. The email was not only sent to the producers of the show, but to others as well.
Darabont has violent tendencies
Instead of negotiating the contract, Darabont began making threats. He asserted that he should have hit people with bricks, then burned their homes down. This kind of threat puts not only crew at risk for becoming crime victims, but also anyone who is living with them in their homes. Nobody wants to work with someone who flies off the handle and threatens their lives and the lives of their families.
His work was poor quality
According to court papers, the then AMC programming chief Joel Stillerman cited that Darabont was unable to deliver scripts in a timely manner. His presence on the set was disturbing to others, and his interactions with the staff slowed production. He wasn’t good at what he did. His disposition was volatile and it put everyone on edge.
His attitude on the set impacted production
Showing up to the job as a potential powder keg created a tense atmosphere. Darabont seemed indifferent when it came to doing his job. Execs were not sure if his shortcomings were due to incompetence, indifference or laziness, but he was not pulling his weight and his performance was not up to the standards that were required for the show. He was a walking crisis which weighed heavily on the cast and crew because of the stress that he created. He wasn’t performing well, but he cited the stress of the situation as his rationale for the lack of performance. His contract stipulated that he would receive a certain percentage of the profits for the show based on his level of participation and contributions per episode.
Was the contract fair to Durabont?
It may not have been, but that will be determined at a later date. Darabont’s team maintains that he is owed 15% in profits, but he didn’t get even close to that. AMC has increased the payments that were made to him, and this could be seen as an admission of wrongdoing. It’s not yet clear whether Darabont was treated unfairly or not, but regardless of how the case turns out, should Darabont return to the “Walking Dead?” After the dust has cleared and both sides of the argument have been presented, it is in the best interest of the show to continue without him and without the conflicts that have arisen from the situation with execs.
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