'Walking Dead' Producers Get $120 Million After 9-Year Profits Battle
Variety • • entertainment
Key Points:
- Five producers of "The Walking Dead," including Robert Kirkman and Gale Anne Hurd, have reached a $120 million settlement with AMC Networks after nine years of litigation over unpaid profits.
- AMC will pay $85 million by the end of this month and an additional $35 million by January 31, 2027, reducing its expected cash flow for the year from $220 million to $150 million.
- The producers initially sued in 2017, alleging AMC used a profit definition that shortchanged them despite the show's billions in revenue; the dispute intensified after AMC's $200 million settlement with Frank Darabont and CAA.
- The settlement avoids a federal trial scheduled for October 27, 2024, following a 2024 ruling that allowed the producers' complaint to proceed, and both parties expressed optimism about continuing to share in the franchise's success.
