Ex 'Walking Dead' Showrunner Talks Firing

It may have gone down over two years ago, but Frank Darabont is still not pleased about getting fired from The Walking Dead. This makes sense — few people are all that happy about getting canned, especially ousted showrunners who have to go through the whole ordeal very publicly. Now that he's moved on with his career and is promoting Mob City, though, Darabont's speaking out about the firing — and calling the people who sacked him "sociopaths."

Here's what he said in what is sure to become an infamous interview with Variety:

If the woman you loved with all your heart left you for the Pilates instructor and just sent you an invitation to the wedding, would you go? … There's a deep commitment and emotional investment that happens when you create something that is very near and dear to you, and when that is torn asunder by sociopaths who don't give a shit about your feelings or the feelings of your cast and crew because they have their own reasons to screw everybody, that doesn't feel good.

Darabont's axing was a notoriously rough time for everybody from Darabont himself to the cast and crew — none of the latter two categories have ever gone on record about the firing because, as one source told The Hollywood Reporter at the time, "They're on a zombie show. They are all really easy to kill off."

Darabont, however, doesn't have much to lose when it comes to talking about that experience, so he's free to go ham. He's not, though, which is notable and noble of him. He is going the classic ex-showrunner route though (that of Sorkin, Williams, and Harmon) and has been open in interview not only about the fact that he can't ever watch the show post-him but also about how the entire experience made him feel.

Here's what Darabont said to Rolling Stone:

I had to take some time off after that to really reassess everything, to really get over the emotional devastation of having some truly malevolent people tear asunder a brilliant family that had gathered to create this hit for them. It was a very, very deep and loving family, the cast and the crew, and to have that torn apart was — when somebody throws a hand-grenade into that situation, it's tremendously emotionally trying

It's obvious he holds no good will towards the people who fired him, but really, considering all the juice he's probably got on that situation, it's kind of notable that he's not firing those details in all directions — vague burns are a classy alternative.

And hey, he can rest easy in the knowledge that The Walking Dead may still be getting good ratings, but it's not like many people actually liked season 3.

Image: AMC