Korean American Angela Kang has been promoted to showrunner of The Walking Dead for its season 9 renewal, reports The Hollywood Reporter.
Former showrunner Scott M. Gimple will now take over as chief content officer, overseeing the franchise’s TV universe, including the spinoff Fear the Walking Dead, gaming, future brand extensions on a variety of platforms, and more.
“I am beyond thrilled to be stepping into this new role with The Walking Dead. Working on this series and having the opportunity to adapt Robert Kirkman’s amazing comic has been a fangirl dream come true for me,” said Kang, who will take over as the fourth showrunner on The Walking Dead. “I’m excited to continue working with Scott and the wonderfully supportive folks at AMC, and can’t wait to share the next chapter of the story with our fans next fall.”
Kang has been with the show since season 2 in 2011, having written some 20 episodes so far, including Season 2’s “Judge, Jury, Executioner,” Season 4’s “Still,” and Season 5’s “Coda.”
“This is an enormously important day for the entire The Walking Dead television universe. We are proud to acknowledge Angela’s significant contribution to the series and to set a clear path forward for a ninth season under her direction,” said Charlie Collier, president of AMC, SundanceTV and AMC Studios. “I know I speak for Angela, Scott and everyone at AMC when I say thanks most of all to the fans and the many talented people who have helped AMC play Dead.”
In 2016, Variety found that just 4 percent of shows for the 2016-2017 season had non-white female showrunners.
“As the show closes in on its 10th year, I’m honored to keep working with the talented, dedicated people behind and in front of the camera to make it all it can be, while expanding the world of The Walking Dead with new narratives like Fear the Walking Dead and a whole host of truly cool stories ahead,” said Gimple. “Angela is a big part of the heart and soul of The Walking Dead, and I’m thrilled to help facilitate her vision of the show’s next era.”
Season 9 of The Walking Dead will premiere in late 2018.
.@angelakang becomes fourth showrunner on #TheWalkingDead and follows Scott Gimple, Glen Mazzara and Frank Darabont. The latter duo are suing AMC over profits from the series. Details: https://t.co/DE09jk35qR pic.twitter.com/LlghSb6hk1
— Hollywood Reporter (@THR) January 13, 2018
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