With credits on Life and FlashForward on his resume, Gimple joined the writing team at the beginning of season two and has helped turn the show around from the sluggishness of Frank Darabont‘s early episodes. Series creator Robert Kirkman seems to like him too. “Scott has been an essential part of this show since he came aboard at the very beginning of season two,” says Kirkman. “He’s contributed to guiding this show in a substantial way that has resulted in a lot of the key scenes and storylines fans have dubbed signature moments of ‘The Walking Dead.’ I am thrilled to begin work on a brand new season of The Walking Dead with Scott at the helm, and I truly believe we could be embarking on what will be the best season of this show yet.”

No word yet when Gimple will exit the show and who his replacement will be. Vince Gilligan could be available by then. That’d be cool. (LA Times)

The spoiler-heavy promos campaign began immediately after the show faded to black insinuating that all of our favorites would be sticking around. The tradition continues with a brand new teaser for the show’s February 10th return. That’s the second teaser this week. Watch at your own risk if you want to save yourself at least some surprises.

Gilligan doesn’t reveal spoilers about the drama’s final scenes but he does speak to what his goals are.

“It’s going to be polarizing no matter how you slice it,” Gilligan told Vulture, “but you don’t want 10 percent to say it was great and 90 percent to say it sucked ass. You want those numbers to be reversed.” According to Gilligan, he’s looking for something less Scarface and more along the lines of Casablanca.

“No one gets everything they wanted. The guy doesn’t get the girl, but he has the satisfaction of knowing she wants him. And he doesn’t get her because he has to save the free world. What better ending is there than that? I’m not saying we’re going to approach that or reach in that direction. Our story doesn’t line up [with Casablanca]. But we’re looking for that kind of satisfaction.”

So there’s still a chance for a shoot-out with neo-Nazis. Cool.

Sons Of Anarchy creator and fan of his own voice, Kurt Sutter took to his Twitter to weigh in.

AMC is run by small-minded, bottom-line thinkers who have no appreciation or gratitude for the effort of its creative personnel. Time and time again we see events like what happened today with Glen Mazzara. They continue to disrespect writers, sh*t on their audience, and bury their network. Mazzara took the work-in-progress that was Walking Dead and turned it into a viable TV show with a future. Without him, that future is dim. Showrunners are not development executives, we’re not cookiecutter douchebags that you plug into a preexisting model. TWD will suffer. Even Zombies need consistency. Mad Men and Breaking Bad will be gone soon. So will AMC. I hope their f*cking stock takes a dive and the shareholders line up (Josh) Sapan, (Charles) Dolan and (Charlie) Collier and sh*t in their open hands. C*nts. (Via)

While Mazzara did make The Walking Dead a better show, it still remains a clumsy show. Version 1.0 was too slow and Version 2.0 is a little too heavy on bashing in zombie heads. Hopefully, whoever steps in for Season Four will find the right mix between the two. In other words, develop Michonne. Right now she comes off as a dickhead with a sword.

There’s a Long Island man who would say, “yes.” Jared Gurman has been charged with attempted murder after allegedly shooting his girlfriend in the back with a .22 caliber rifle during an argument about whether or not a zombie apocalypse could happen.

“He felt very adamant there could be a military mishap that would result in some sort of virus being released that could cause terrible things to happen,” Detective Lt. Raymond Cote said a news conference. “She felt it was ridiculous. He’s passionate about it. And it escalated from there.”
Gelderman chose not to spend the night at his home following the argument, but the heated exchange continued by text message, NBC 4 New York reported. When she returned to Gurman’s home to check on him around 2:30 a.m., he was outside his door waiting with a .22-caliber rifle.
“She tried to diffuse the situation, to calm him down,” said Cote. “She was walking up the stairs when Mr. Gurman raised the rifle, pointed it as her and fired one round into her back, causing serious injury.”
Gelderman suffered a shattered rib, a pierced lung, a pierced diaphram and is in serious, but stable condition, Cote said, according to CBS 2 News.

This raises a lot of questions. For instance, is that a Christina Aguilera t-shirt he’s wearing in his mugshot? (NY Daily News)

R.I.P. T-Dog. It was nice almost knowing you.

The network has been in a standoff with cable provider, Dish Network, since they were blacked out in early July. Now, in order to grab headlines and help lazy bloggers like myself reach their quota, they are sending undead Presidential hopeful Mr. A. Zombie, his wife Patty Morgan-Zombie, and running mate Noah Pulse to the upcoming Republican and Democratic conventions, to speak out against Dish.

The hope is to end the blackout by the time The Walking Dead returns with season three in October, so AMC won’t suffer further ratings drops. I could spout off averages and percentages but numbers are boring. Let’s get back to the zombie politician thing. I feel he should be invited to the debates. He’d easily win over the Right by moaning and vomiting when asked his thoughts on ObamaCare. (via Warming Glow)

If only Bryan Cranston had take this hard approach with Reese. Dewey would have had a far happier childhood.

I know that Walter has to be careful how he spends his money, but he could have splurged a little on his throne. The folding deck chair isn’t nearly as intimidating as the sword-covered iron throne. Though it is easier to carry. Mr. White is nothing if not practical.

Heavy is the head that wears the crown. Here are Walter White’s most underhanded moments. Obviously, SPOILERS ABOUND. And don’t forget, season four is available on Blu-ray^TM and DVD June 5th, just in time to catch up for Season Five!

Cook Meth In The First Place

With the odds of his survival extremely low, Walter White dreads leaving his pregnant wife and handicapped son without a means of income. After a chance meeting with Jesse, a former student, Walter hatches the plan to cook and sell extremely potent methamphetamine. With Jesse’s knowledge of the criminal underworld, the two team up and find they need to be savvy if they hope to survive.

Lies To Family About Money

When Walter shares the news of his illness with loved ones, relatives and friends offer to help out with his treatment costs. Amongst them is an old flame Gretchen. Now extremely wealthy, Gretchen offers him all of the money he’ll ever need. However, he’s too proud to accept, and dismisses her offer. Instead, he moves ahead full steam with the plans to cook meth. This requires he get involved with extremely violent and dangerous business partners.

Poisoning Tuco

After being threatened by Tuco, a crazed business associate, Walt and Jesse decide they need to take him out. Rather than shoot him point blank and risk reprisal from his cartel associates, they decide to poison Tuco with ricin. However, he’s unable to feed him the poison as planned and is attacked by Tuco. Through sheer luck, Walter and Jesse are able to escape at the last moment.

Allowing Jane to Die

The stress of killing, stealing, and lying takes its toll on the partnership of Walt and Jesse. Walt begins to feel Jesse completely slipping out of his control after he takes up with Jane, a recovering addict who relapses along with Jesse. Walter agrees to give Jesse his share of the money but only on the condition that he get sober first. Jane finds out and blackmails Walter. After caving in and giving Jesse his money, Walter still feels the need to help him kick his addiction. He visits Jesse to find both he and Jane passed out after taking heroin. Jane rolls onto her back and begins to choke on her own vomit. Walter resists the urge to save her and watches as she asphyxiates. Finding his lover dead the next morning causes Jesse to get the rehabilitative help he needs.

However, every action has a reaction. Walter’s shady choice leaves Jane’s dad grief-stricken. Jane’s dad is an air traffic controller. Exhausted and dazed, he returns to work too soon and causes two commercial passenger planes to collide in mid-air, killing all of the passengers.

Orders Gale’s Murder

Walter’s only foothold in the world of drug-dealing is that nobody can replicate or best his formula. This attracts the attention of local businessman (and secret crime lord) Gus Fring. He hires Walt and sets him up with a state of the art super-lab for the mass production of product. This lab also comes with an assistant named Gale. The two get along perfectly. Gus is another story.

Gus and Walter disagree on issues like murdering children. Gus is cheers and Walt is jeers. As this tension grows, Gus has Gale watch Walter and learn his recipe. Once he has it down, Walter and Jesse will be eliminated. In a bid to guarantee his and Jesse’s survival, Walt sends Jesse to murder Gale, a chemistry nerd and karaoke fan mostly innocent of any wrongdoing.

Launders Money Via Car Wash

When his wife Skylar finally learns his shocking secret, she gets used to the money. Too used to it. She insists that she be involved in a business manager capacity. They decide to go along with her plan of cheating a local car wash dealer out of his business. They then use that facility to cover their tracks when asked where all their money is coming from.

Poisons A Child to Get to Gus Fring

In his most diabolical scheme yet, Walter White pulls off a long con that eliminates Gus Fring. His plan is anything but simple:

- Convince Jesse to help him poison Gus
- Steal poison back from wishy-washy Jesse via an innocuous third party
- Poison Jesse’s girlfriend’s son with a not-deadly poison that resembles a deadly poison
- Convince Jesse that Gus poisoned the boy
- Have Jesse arrange a meet with Gus
- Place explosives on Gus’s car during the meet
- Find alternate way of blowing up Gus by placing explosives on an old man’s wheelchair
- Blow up the old man and Gus

So, yeah, I’d say Walter White has experienced a moral shift and established himself as an adaptable thinker capable of extreme evil. He’s become a cancer himself.

A spokesperson for AMC commented: “The post on the AMC store was completely unauthorized. The matter is currently under investigation.”

“And when we find the offender, the networks President and VP will drive them 18 miles away from AMC headquarters. Then they will argue at length about whether or not to kill them. In the end, the offender will be brought back to headquarters and probably killed regardless.” (EW)

For those unfamiliar with the comic, The Governor is the worst villain in the series run. Evil incarnate. It’s awesome that the character will be on the show, however, it seems a bit soon in the mythology to bring him in. Though Walking Dead could use s creative jolt, and this storyline is a good way to do that.

But John Hawkes doesn’t need to play the part. In fact, there are several guys creepy enough (or who are at least able to grow a cool goatee) to pull it off. In no particular order, these are those guys. (via The Wrap)

Tom Savini

There are so many reasons why this role should go to Savini. First, he broke the news about John Hawkes. Second, he loves zombies. Third, the guy was seemingly modeled after him. However, it seems like Savini wasn’t taking the hint when The Walking Dead producers were trying to let him down soft. Whereas Savini is great in schlocky over-the-top genre films, his acting might not be “just wooden enough” for The Walking Dead.

Daniel Buran

Daniel Buran could take this role, hold it captive, and slowly torture it. He proved this with his largely underused role on True Blood last season. Also, check out the physical resemblance. The characters of werewolf pack leader Marcus and the Governor have a lot of crossover. If he’s up for the typecasting, this could and should be his.

Danny Trejo

I don’t really see Danny Trejo as getting this role but wouldn’t it be cool? Problem is, Danny Trejo is far too badass and outwardly scary. Though incredibly evil, the Governor is a nuanced character whose shady intentions must remain ambiguous for a time. It’s hard to be charmed by someone with such a rough exterior.

I  fear for AMC on this one. If they try to mess with the show’s production budget like they have with The Walking Dead and Breaking Bad, it’s likely they’ll end up with their hands chopped off. Or in a shallow grave if they’re lucky. (Deadline)

Every episode of the zombie apocalypse drama will air beginning December 31st at 11 am with the pilot episode. Then end with the second season’s mid-season finale airing at midnight. It’s the perfect way to catch up or refresh yourself on the series if you didn’t get the Blu-Rays for the holiday. It’s sure to inspire your New Year’s Resolution. 2012 To-Do: Don’t become a zombie. (THR)

Describing the departure as “a really unfortunate situation,” he said “I miss Frank on the show – it was a lot of fun working with him.”

But “the transition from him to Glen Mazzara was seemless [sic],” he added, highlighting that he and both men had plotted out the second season together early this year. “It wasn’t even really a hiccup.”

He also noted that showrunner changes happen all of the time, pointing out Dexter as an example. Ruh-roh. Dexter suffered in its fifth season when a new showrunner was brought in, and the jury’s still out on season six. Even so, we’re left with a sense of hope for the second season of The Walking Dead. The story and potential are there, if only everyone involved were able to rise to it. (THR)

On a show that doesn’t pull any punches in the gore department, the kills and special effects can only get more impressive. Let’s salute the goriest moments from the first season as we look forward to being grossed out by season two.

Little Girl Headshot

The series began with the protagonist, Rick, being forced to put a bullet into the brain of an undead child. I think the series really made its intentions clear in those opening moments.

Zombie Shot Through Fence

This unfortunate soul was put out of its misery with a Colt pressed against its forehead. The resultant spray of blood, bone, and brain was pretty severe, especially since this was a mercy kill.

Baseball Bat to the Dome

The severe squishification of heads via baseball bat has always been reserved for mafia dramas and that one really weird episode of Leave It to Beaver. Those days are over thanks to the advent of zombies of television, and a new day has dawned!

Host Chris Hardwick will talk with fans and the show’s creators. Says Hardwick, “As an ENORMOUS fan of both The Walking Dead comic and television show, I pretty much begged for this job. Dissecting the moves of Rick Grimes and the remaining survivors after every episode is something I would be doing with my friends anyway, so the fact that AMC is actually paying to do so is a bonus.”

Here’s hoping that dismissed creator Frank Darabont will call in and issue spoilers while disguising his voice to sound like a snooty, high-pitched British woman. (Deadline)

It’s projected that Walter Jr. will deliver an estimated six lines of dialogue in the final sixteen episodes.

9 photosWe're Surrounded By 'Walking Dead' Season Two Pics!!

The Hollywood Reporter lived up to their name today with an in-depth article revealing that Darabont was actually fired by AMC and that the cast have been instructed to remain silent about the matter. Unless they want to be eaten by an extra.

There also have been no public comments from the cast, and a source with knowledge of the situation says AMC has been “terrorizing” them and their representatives to discourage them from speaking out on Darabont’s behalf. “They’re scared,” confirms another insider. “They’re on a zombie show. They are all really easy to kill off.”

Wow. AMC is really getting a reputation for being villainous and ruthless in their negotiations. Now it makes sense that they have to keep replacing the kid who plays Bobby on Mad Men.

http://www.screenjunkies.com/?p=223020 Much like the meth cooked by Walter White on AMC‘s Breaking Bad, the show itself has become so good that everyone wants a piece of it. That’s why Sony Pictures Television has had clandestine meet-ups with other networks out in the desert. With renewal talks dragging on between the studio and AMC Network, the acclaimed drama is being shopped around. This is fairly common practice and doesn’t necessarily mean that the show will jump networks, but it does point to other problems.

As the show grows more expensive, AMC has proposed scaling back the order for season five from thirteen episodes to six or eight. The show producers refused to do this and then killed their best friend with a box cutter to illustrate how serious they are. But the bigger issue here is the show’s life span. Series creator Vince Gilligan has always said that next season will be the last. However, the ratings are pouring in like never before as strong word of mouth is bringing more and more viewers to the show.

“There’s nothing definitive on that show,” says senior VP of programming Joel Stillerman when asked about Gilligan’s statement. “We need to make a decision on season 5 and then we’ll decide with Vince with Sony if that’s it or if it can be ongoing after that. The kind of demo delivery gains seen in season 4 are potentially unprecedented. We’re thrilled.”

So that’s where we’re at. The genius who creates the show wants out at a certain point for the story’s sake. Admirable. But, the network wants to milk it for all the profit it is worth. Hopefully, they won’t hire a young writer to shadow Gilligan and learn his secrets from him. That can only end with blood on everybody’s hands. (EW)

]]> http://www.screenjunkies.com/movies/movie-news/breaking-bad-is-being-shopped-around-to-other-networks/feed/ 0 http://www.screenjunkies.com/gallery/were-surrounded-by-walking-dead-season-two-pics/ http://www.screenjunkies.com/gallery/were-surrounded-by-walking-dead-season-two-pics/#comments Thu, 21 Jul 2011 21:40:21 +0000 Wookie Johnson http://www.screenjunkies.com/?post_type=gallery&p=221362

7 photosEmma Bell

October’s still a ways off but at least we can get a better look at what to expect from the second season of AMC‘s The Walking Dead.

It looks like the survivors’ road trip doesn’t quite go as planned. From these pics I get the sense that they run into trouble when the RV breaks down on a crowded highway. With nowhere to run when they find themselves surrounded by geeks, the survivors scatter and hide as best they can. Soon, they’re all looking on in horror as T-Dog is surrounded. But then the day is saved when Lori and Carol discover that zombies are repelled by the sound of mouth farts. Yayyy, teamwork!! Either that or T-Dog is eaten. Either way, looks tense! (The Walking Dead)

]]> http://www.screenjunkies.com/gallery/were-surrounded-by-walking-dead-season-two-pics/feed/ 0 http://www.screenjunkies.com/video/peep-this-the-walking-dead-season-two/ http://www.screenjunkies.com/video/peep-this-the-walking-dead-season-two/#comments Mon, 18 Jul 2011 11:29:48 +0000 Wookie Johnson http://www.screenjunkies.com/?post_type=video&p=220597 AMC offered this sneak peek at the second season of The Walking Dead during last night’s shit-gets-real season premiere of Breaking Bad.

Here we see Rick Grimes, two zombies, and a rock. Though it wouldn’t be m weapon of choice when battling the undead, you can see that this rock is pretty effective. It’s no crossbow, but it gets the job done.

]]> http://www.screenjunkies.com/video/peep-this-the-walking-dead-season-two/feed/ 0 http://www.screenjunkies.com/video/walt-is-a-one-man-wrecking-crew-in-breaking-bad-season-four-trailer/ http://www.screenjunkies.com/video/walt-is-a-one-man-wrecking-crew-in-breaking-bad-season-four-trailer/#comments Mon, 20 Jun 2011 20:32:02 +0000 Wookie Johnson http://www.screenjunkies.com/?post_type=video&p=216943 Breaking Bad“ has a season four trailer. Which means it has a season four. Which is awesome.

Remember Walter White walking around the desert in his tighty-brighties back in the pilot episode? Yeah, well erase that image from your memory or this newly-evolved Walter White will f$%^ing kill you. All while wearing a stylish hat. Which means Skyler had better be careful next time she feels the urge to get up his ass.

The new season premieres July 17th on AMC. Finally.

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