By Matthew Jackson, Source: Blastr.com
It seems like every character on AMC’s The Walking Dead is bound to end up as zombie lunch sooner or later, but some are clearly more vulnerable than others. Sometimes, the characters are too slow, sometimes they’re too stupid, and sometimes the actors who play them get courted by another show.
So, which character might be making an exit so an actor can run off to another gig? Variety is reporting that Jon Bernthal – who plays Shane – is in talks with TNT to star in their new 1940s crime drama, L.A. Noir. The news comes from “sources close to the situation,” who made sure everyone knows that these negotiations are very, very new and nothing is certain yet. But the job is a starring role on a brand new drama series, which would leave no spare time for zombie battling.
L.A. Noir has a pilot order from TNT, which doesn’t guarantee that it gets to be a full series, so even if Bernthal does end up with the gig the timeline for Shane’s departure is rather fuzzy. Still, he’s also got a new movie – Snitch, with co-stars Dwayne Johnson and Susan Sarandon – on the way, which could mean that even if he doesn’t take this show, another offer could be right around the corner.
But here’s the really juicy part of this story: The series creator and executive producer for L. A. Noir is none other than Frank Darabont, who was so infamously ousted from his gig as The Walking Dead’s showrunner last summer. He may not have the show anymore, but Darabont certainly seems to be keeping in touch with his former cast.
Fans of The Walking Dead comics will note that Shane’s impending demise is no real shocker. His TV version has been living on borrowed time for quite a while now, and keeping that version alive has created a new story dynamic for the series. How that dynamic might change if Shane is out of the picture, we can only guess.