AMC have announced they are in the initial stages of development on what they're calling a "companion" series to The Walking Dead. Walking Dead's Robert Kirkman, Gale Anne Hurd and David Alpert are executive producing with the series, aimed to debut in 2015. While The Walking Dead has taken Kirkman's comic book as its inspiration, using most of the same characters (albeit often then veering in its own directions), the new series will be about a different group of survivors. It remains to be seen if we'll meet any of the new characters first on The Walking Dead or if the show will take place in such an entirely different area of the world, that wouldn't be possible.

“Building on the success of the most popular show on television for adults 18-49 is literally a no-brainer,” said Charlie Collier, AMC’s president and general manager. “We look forward to working with Robert, Gale and Dave again as we develop an entirely new story and cast of characters. It’s a big world and we can’t wait to give fans another unforgettable view of the zombie apocalypse.”

“After 10 years of writing the comic book series and being so close to the debut of our fourth, and in my opinion, best season of the TV series, I couldn't be more thrilled about getting the chance to create a new corner of The Walking Dead universe,” said Kirkman. “The opportunity to make a show that isn't tethered by the events of the comic book, and is truly a blank page, has set my creativity racing.”

This is the second spinoff series AMC have announced in the past week, on the heels of confirming they are moving forward with the Breaking Bad prequel, Better Call Saul.