The @_Blabz Twitter feed, which accurately revealed Kristin Kreuk’s casting in Hitched last week before any reporting from the trades, might have the first casting tip on AMC’s pilot for the The Walking Dead.

What is that tip? That a former teen-idol best known for a series in the 1990’s despite doing some good work on recent shows like Raising The Bar will be auditioning for the lead role of Rick Grimes.

That actor, of course, is Mark-Paul Gosselaar of Saved By The Bell fame.

Of course, auditioning for the role doesn’t mean he’s gotten the role…. though if he takes it, I’m waiting for the inevitable parodies where Rick Grimes is being chased by Belding and Screech zombies – or, even worse, the zombie of Dustin Diamond’s career.

Me, I’m still hoping Thomas Jane at least tries out for it…. Comments? Leave them. And please, again, be aware this is just a rumor right now and could be entirely false.

Bloody-Disgusting.com has revealed that the pilot episode for AMC’s adaptation of Robert Kirkman’s comic book The Walking Dead will begin shooting May 15 in Atlanta, Georgia.

The Walking Dead series is about the aftermath of a zombie apocalypse, with a small-town police officer from Kentucky and others surviving as the zombies continue to feed.

Here’s AMC’s press release announcing the pick-up of the Walking Dead pilot:

AMC ORDERS TWO PILOTS, BUILDING ON NETWORK’S
ORIGINAL PROGRAMMING STRATEGY

Pilot Order For
THE WALKING DEAD
Based on the Comic Book Series by Robert Kirkman

Pilot Order For
THE KILLING
Adapted from the Danish Series “Forbrydelsen”

New York, NY – January 20, 2010 – AMC announced today two pilot orders for The Walking Dead and The Killing. Based on the comic book series written by Robert Kirkman, The Walking Dead, has been in publication since October 2003 and is one of the most celebrated contemporary genre comics. The Killing is based on the wildly successful Danish series Forbrydelsen. Both pilots go into production in second quarter 2010. Today’s announcement marks the fourth and fifth pilot orders from AMC. The first three pilots developed were Mad Men, Breaking Bad, and Rubicon, which all led to full series orders. Today’s announcement comes on the heels of AMC becoming the only network, in television history, to win three consecutive (2008, 2009, 2010) Golden Globe Awards for Best Dramatic Series for Mad Men.

“In a short time AMC has become known for telling the best stories on television. Today’s announcement underscores the network’s commitment to working with the premier talent in the industry and further supports AMC’s commitment to being the home for premium television on basic cable,” said Charlie Collier, president and general manager of AMC.

“The Walking Dead and The Killing are alone in their class in terms of the quality of the storytelling. Both have remarkable talent behind them, and present that rare opportunity to raise the bar significantly within a genre. It is a very exciting next step in our continuing commitment to presenting smart, sophisticated storytelling with broad appeal,” said Joel Stillerman, AMC’s senior vice president of original programming, production and digital content.

Previously announced as a project in development, Robert Kirkman has signed on to serve as an executive producer on The Walking Dead and three-time Academy Award nominee Frank Darabont (The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile) has signed on to write, direct and executive produce. Valhalla Motion Pictures has signed on as the production company to produce the series with its Chairman, Gale Anne Hurd (The Terminator, Aliens, Armageddon, The Incredible Hulk) to executive produce. David Alpert from Circle of Confusion has also signed on as executive producer.

Written and executive produced by Veena Sud (Cold Case) The Killing is a drama series based on the murder of a young girl that then prompts a major police investigation. From Fox Television Studios, The Killing is executive produced by Mikkel Bondesen (Burn Notice) from Fuse Entertainment. Fuse’s Kristen Campo is also a co-producer.

About The Walking Dead
The Walking Dead tells the story of the months and years that follow after a zombie apocalypse. It follows a group of survivors, led by police officer Rick Grimes, who travel in search of a safe and secure home. The comic goes on to explore the challenges of life in a world overrun by zombies who take a toll on the survivors, and sometimes the interpersonal conflicts present a greater danger to their continuing survival than the zombies that roam the country. Over time, the characters are changed by the constant exposure to death and some grow willing to do anything to survive.

About The Killing
The Killing ties together three distinct stories by a single murder and as the detectives assigned to the case disagree about the best course of action, they chase down a variety of leads and suspects. Along the way there are major repercussions for the victim’s family, the detectives, the suspects, and the local politicians connected to the case. It is an exploration of Seattle politics; a unique portrayal of a victim’s grieving family, and a study of the personal life of a cop. There are no accidents in The Killing. Everyone has a secret, and while our characters think they’ve moved on, their past isn’t done with them.

About AMC
AMC reigns as the only basic cable network to win back-to-back Primetime Emmy® Awards for Outstanding Drama Series and Golden Globe® Awards for Best Television Series – Drama and boasts a comprehensive library of the most entertaining movies of all time. Whether commemorating favorite films from every genre and decade or creating acclaimed original productions, the AMC experience is an uncompromising celebration of great stories. AMC’s original stories include the Emmy® Award-winning dramas Mad Men and Breaking Bad, the upcoming miniseries The Prisoner and insightful non-scripted programming such as AMC News. AMC further demonstrates its commitment to the art of storytelling with curated movie franchises like AMC Hollywood Icon and AMC Complete Collection. Available in more than 95 million homes (Source: Nielsen Media Research), AMC is a subsidiary of Rainbow Media Holdings LLC, which includes sister networks IFC, Sundance Channel, WE tv and Wedding Central. AMC is available across all platforms including on-air, online, on demand and mobile. AMC: Story Matters Here.

Word has come from trade publications that AMC has put in a pilot order for The Walking Dead television series based on the Robert Kirkman comic/graphic novel series of the same name.

The show will show the aftermath of a zombie apocalypse.

Frank Darabont is writing, directing, and executive producing the pilot, and Gale Anne Hurd, David Alpert, and creator Robert Kirkman are executive producers. If you haven’t checked out the comic, it’s a great read.

Darabont directed The Mist (with Sam Witwer!) so you just know it’ll have a great look to it. Would it be asking too much for this series to be shot in black and white?

As far as I know there has been no announcement on when AMC’s adaptation of Robert Kirkman’s comic book series The Walking Dead will hit the air. But what we do have are 10 (almost 11!) trade paperbacks of the series thus far, which make for some really good reading for those uninitiated (including myself, who has just been discovering it).

But… to get the ball rolling on some discussion before AMC makes an announcement, I’d like to put the question out there:

Who would you like to see cast in The Walking Dead TV series?

My only for-sure choice after reading the first two trade paperbacks would be Thomas Jane as the lead character, Rick Grimes. Jane starred in director Frank Darabont’s The Mist, so there’s surely a working relationship there. (Darabont is a writer and executive producer for the TV series).

So, what do you think? Comment here or let your thoughts be heard on the KryptonSite Forum.

One comics-to-TV project that’s in development right now is The Walking Dead, based on the Image Comics series by Robert Kirkman. It’s slated to become a TV series with Frank Darabont tapped as writer, director, and executive producer.

Creator Kirkman has spoken with the CBR website about the latest progress in the project, which you can find here. Since many of you who follow the KryptonSite network of sites are also comic book fans, this may be of interest.

Check out the interview and talk about The Walking Dead on the KryptonSite Forum!