Since it was first published by Image Comics back in 2003, The Walking Dead has become a pop culture phenomenon, spawning a range of successful novels, video games and even action figures. However, all of that pales in comparison to the success of the TV adaptation, which has become the most popular show in the US among the highly coveted 18-49 demographic. The premiere of season four was watched by 16.1 million viewers, making it the most popular opening episode the show has received yet. Who would have thought a black and white comic book about zombies would have become so popular? A new trailer for season five was recently unveiled at Comic Con and the response was overwhelmingly positive. With rumors circulating that more major cast members will be shot/eaten/disemboweled in the new series, anticipation is at an all-time high for the programs return on October 12th. Think you know the series like the back of your hand? Think again. To celebrate the success of the show so far, read on to discover 25 facts you probably didn't know about The Walking Dead. Memorizing each of these obscure references and random bits of trivia will dazzle all of your friends and help you to win every Walking Dead pub quiz there is. That's going to be a thing one day. Trust us... Just remember that spoilers will inevitably occur here, so if you're not up date with the latest season, take a day off work and watch every episode in quick succession. Caught up? Great! Now read on and remember to let us know if you have any more facts that fans of The Walking Dead would love to hear.
25. Days Gone By
The first episode of The Walking Dead was called 'Days Gone By' and aired Halloween 2010 to rave reviews. A lot of this critical acclaim can be attributed to Frank Darabont, who both wrote and directed the pilot. For those of you who don't know who he is, Darabont is the director behind some of the most popular Stephen King adaptations of all time, including The Mist, The Green Mile and The Shawshank Redemption. Darabont's pedigree as a film maker led to him becoming the shows executive producer, but he left after only one season due to budget constraints that had been placed on the show.
24. Too Violent?
It's hard to believe, but before AMC came on board to produce The Walking Dead, both NBC and HBO passed on the hit show. According to executive producer Greg Nicotero, both companies wanted to tone down the gore and violence, a condition that producer Gale Anne Hurd refused to accept. It seems strange that a studio like HBO would want to make a 'tame' zombie show, especially given their track record of producing violent programming like True Blood and Game of Thrones, but it all worked out in the end for the fans, as AMC have worked hard to stay true to the spirit of the original source material.
David is a primary school teacher who tries his best to turn every math lesson into a discussion on the latest Pixar film. Passions include superheroes, zombies and Studio Ghibli. In between going to the cinema, moving to South Korea and eating his body weight in KFC, David writes for a number of movie sites, http://becarefulyourhand.blogspot.co.uk/
