'Walking Dead' Premiere Sets Hollywood A-Twitter

Praise floods in for new AMC zombie series' cast and crew.
By Josh Wigler

"The Walking Dead"
Photo: AMC

Halloween might be over, but the stench of the undead hangs heavy in the air thanks to last night's debut of "The Walking Dead." The new AMC television series, based on the horror comic books from Image Comics, invited viewers to a post-apocalyptic landscape filled to the brim with flesh-hungry zombies, and despite the grisly visage of these ungodly creatures — perhaps, even, because of it — viewers gladly tuned in to the series premiere in droves.

Several members of the Hollywood community weighed in on Twitter with their impressions of the first episode of "The Walking Dead," with "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World" and "Shaun of the Dead" director Edgar Wright declaring: "Wow. Just saw the first episode of The Walking Dead. An ace job by Frank Darabont, Greg Nicotero and the team."

"Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li" screenwriter Justin Marks also was enthusiastic about the premiere, tweeting: "A big shout-out to [Gale Anne Hurd] for producing a show that actually has the interwebs excited."

Marks wasn't the only one with praise for Hurd, the "Terminator" and "Aliens" producer responsible for "The Walking Dead," alongside writer/director Frank Darabont. Former "Lost" writer and executive producer Carlton Cuse expressed his pride in Hurd and the rest of the show's creative team. "While not for the faint of heart, 'The Walking Dead' is awesome," Cuse wrote.

Indeed, Hurd's Twitter feed was weighed down with compliments from fans and colleagues alike. The producer frantically responded to several comments, clearly appreciative of the support. "Let's hope we get that 2nd season pick up," she wrote.

Steven Yeun, who plays Glenn on the new zombie series, was similarly ecstatic with the reaction from "Walking Dead" fans. "Thanks much," he wrote to his followers. "Yes, it is definitely a good Sunday!"

But, as much as this was an event for the cast and crew, it was undoubtedly an even more surreal moment for Robert Kirkman, the co-creator and writer of the "Walking Dead" comic books. Like Hurd and Yeun, Kirkman — an executive producer and writer on the AMC series — was inundated with support from fans and colleagues, including his "Haunt" collaborator, "Spawn" creator Todd McFarlane.

"Thanks for all the kind words everyone," Kirkman wrote. "The amount of @ replies I'm getting is insane! I'm glad everyone dug the show."

What did you think of "The Walking Dead" series premiere? Give us your review in the comments!

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