It's based on graphic novel. AMC has been raking in a lot of awards for their other two series Breaking Bad and Madmen, so hopefully this production will be of the same quality.
http://www.darkhorizons.com/news/14869/darabont-hunts-amc-s-walking-dead-
QuoteThe series will stay faithful to the tone of the original novels according to a network spokesman
That's a nice way of saying, "It's not going to be nearly as violent or profane and the story might be different." I've only read the first several issues of
The Walking Dead (I used to have 1st printings of the first few issues and I wish I'd waited longer to sell them 'cause they're pretty valuable these days [I see a 1st issue on eBay going for over $200!!!) and it's pretty good stuff, and with Darabont involved then maybe it won't be so bad.
Yeah, this is a fairly bleak and savage series. I think they can carry the tone without going overboard on the gore. As with any good writing, the story is the main treat, not the brain-splattered icing smeared on top.
The one thing they need to keep is the apparent randomness of character deaths. You really don't know if and when characters will die. That's hard to do well on a TV show, as you risk alienating viewers. However, if there is one zombie material that works as a TV show, The Walking Dead is it.
And Darabont is a great choice to do the adaptation. I hope it comes out good.