It’s a day of good and bad news for The Walking Dead fans.
The good news? The AMC drama was greenlit for a fourth season. The brutal twist: Glen Mazzara, is stepping down from his role as the show’s showrunner — after two seasons in the top spot.
“My time as showrunner on The Walking Dead has been an amazing experience, but after I finish Season 3, it’s time to move on. I have told the stories I wanted to tell and connected with our fans on a level that I never imagined, Mazzara said in an official statement to EW. ”It doesn’t get much better than that. Thank you to everyone who has been a part of this journey.”
And after helping the zombie thriller garner a series-high ratings blitz this fall, AMC also expressed their gratitude: “Glen guided the series creatively for seasons 2 and 3. AMC is grateful for his hard work. We are both proud of our shared success. Both parties acknowledge that there is a difference of opinion about where the show should go moving forward, and conclude that it is best to part ways. This decision is amicable and Glen will remain on for post-production on [the remainder of the third season, which starts in February] as showrunner and executive producer.”
The show’s creator, Robert Kirkman, also released a statement to USA Today, thanking Mazzara for “his hard work.”
“I thank Glen for his hard work and appreciate his many contributions to The Walking Dead and look forward to working with him as we complete post production on Season 3,” Kirkman said. “I am also excited to begin work on another spectacular season of this show that I know means so much to so many people.
Mazzara is leaving the hit drama after taking over the position from Frank Darabont in 2011. It remains unclear as to who exactly who will take over when Mazzara departs.
The fourth season of The Walking Dead premieres in February on AMC.
