Amazon today announced it has closed an overall deal with prolific creator Robert Kirkman (The Walking Dead, Invincible) and a first-look deal with Kirkman’s Skybound Entertainment, co-founded by longtime collaborator David Alpert. Kirkman and Skybound — the entities behind television hits The Walking Dead, Fear the Walking Dead and Outcast — will develop television projects to debut exclusively on Prime Video. This collaboration comes on the heels of Amazon Studios’ new expanded push into science fiction, fantasy and horror programming. Skybound Entertainment’s co-presidents of film and television, Bryan and Sean Furst, will oversee the Amazon project slate in conjunction with Kirkman and Alpert.
“Robert is a gifted storyteller who shares our passion for elevated genre storytelling that pushes boundaries,” said Sharon Tal Yguado, Head of Event Series, Amazon Studios. “Robert and the team at Skybound are some of the most innovative and fearless creatives in the business. Together, we plan to explore immersive worlds and bold ideas for Prime Video.”
“At Skybound Entertainment we strive to tell the best stories in the most unique and creative ways in an effort to always break new ground,” said Robert Kirkman. “A forward thinking company like Amazon is the perfect home for us. Their new foray into genre fiction has us at peak optimism for what can be accomplished during this unprecedented partnership. Sharon Tal Yguado has been an instrumental force in the success of ‘Walking Dead’ and ‘Outcast’ from day one. Being able to not only continue that relationship, but also expand it into new territory with the vast resources of Amazon, means great things are ahead for myself, David Alpert, Skybound and fans of awesome entertainment. Look out world, here we come!”
First and foremost a comic creator, Kirkman has seen groundbreaking success in the adaptation of his comic book titles into major franchises in all forms of content. In 2010, his Eisner award-winning series, The Walking Dead, was developed into an AMC television series. It has become a worldwide phenomenon as the highest-rated basic cable drama of all time and is the #1 show on television among the coveted 18-49 demo. The property has also been extended into a blockbuster game franchise, licensing business and ongoing publishing success. Kirkman also serves as consulting producer of The Talking Dead, the popular talk show hosted by Chris Hardwick that deep dives into each week’s episode of both The Walking Dead and its companion series Fear the Walking Dead. Kirkman is co-creator, writer and producer of The Walking Dead’s companion series, Fear the Walking Dead. He is also executive producer of the AMC series Robert Kirkman’s Secret History of Comics, and the pre-apocalyptic drama, Five Year, that is being developed for multiple territories including Germany, India, Brazil, and Italy. Kirkman’s popular demonic-exorcism comic, Outcast, was adapted, produced and airs on Cinemax. For the big screen, Kirkman will produce Invincible based on his long-running popular comic book. The project will be written, directed and produced by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg for Universal Pictures. Other credits include Air featuring Norman Reedus and Academy Award nominee, Djimon Hounsou. Additional Kirkman comics include Super Dinosaur, Battle Pope, Astounding Wolf-Man, and Thief of Thieves.
Skybound Entertainment, the multiplatform entertainment company led by Robert Kirkman and David Alpert, is responsible for such television hits including The Walking Dead, Fear the Walking Dead and Outcast. Moving into the digital content space, Skybound produced the first-ever narrative VR series, Gone, for Samsung’s Milk VR platform and in 2017 will produce VR horror series Lies Within, which is the first project out of Skybound’s partnership with interactive theatrical company Delusion. The company currently has a number of different film projects in development including properties for their two-year first look deal with Universal. Skybound Entertainment recently announced its expansion with the opening of Skybound North, a Vancouver-based production division of the company. Skybound North is led by former LucasFilm Animation executive, Catherine Winder (The Angry Birds Movie, Star Wars: The Clone Wars). Comic book titles published by Skybound include: The Walking Dead, Invincible, Outcast, Birthright, Green Valley, Horizon, and Demonic. Skybound Entertainment’s interactive division works with partners including Telltale’s The Walking Dead, Free Range Games’ Labyrinth, Night School Studios’ Oxenfree, Pipeworks’ Superfight, and Overkill’s The Walking Dead. Skybound also creates a wide range of merchandise, including tabletop card games Superfight and Red Flags, apparel, board games, and action figures.
