'Walking Dead' Producer Frank Darabont Fears Budget Cuts Will Hurt Show (Video)

The creative forces behind some of TV’s top series are lamenting the increased budget pressure they are under these days. Speaking on The Hollywood Reporter’s annual drama showrunner Emmy roundtable, Walking Dead writer-producer Frank Darabont specifically addressed the budget on his hit AMC zombie drama, which he says is in jeopardy of being cut.   

“Creatively I have no complaints thus far,” Darabont says. “But I believe if they do move ahead with what they’re talking about, it will affect the show creatively ... in a negative way. Which just strikes me as odd. If you have an asset, why would you punish it?”

Darabont wasn’t alone in expressing his concerns with budget pressure. Terence Winter, writer-producer of HBO’s Prohibition-era drama Boardwalk Empire, detailed his back-and-forth with the network heading into Season 2 of the series.

“Looking at some of the proposed cuts – the wishlist for the budget, I had to remind people the show is called Boardwalk Empire and we can’t afford a boardwalk or an empire for that price,” Winter says.

Video below: