AMC Global Media Settles ‘Walking Dead’ Profit Participation Lawsuit for $120 Million
AMC Global Media has reached a $120 million settlement with The Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman and several producers tied to the long-running franchise, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The agreement resolves the remaining claims in litigation involving profit participation from the original The Walking Dead series and its first spinoff, Fear the Walking Dead. The lawsuit was originally filed in 2022.
Under the settlement, AMC will pay $85 million this month and an additional $35 million next year. The second payment will be treated as an advance against future profit participation rights.
The settlement was reached Sept. 4.
Kirkman was joined in the lawsuit by producers Glen Mazzara, David Alpert, Charles Eglee and Gale Anne Hurd, along with their respective production entities. The dispute centered on how profits from the franchise were calculated and distributed, and how much the participating producers were owed under their agreements.
In a joint statement, the two sides said they had reached an amicable resolution of all remaining claims and litigation tied to The Walking Dead television franchise.
“The parties look forward to sharing in the continued success of the franchise for many years to come,” the statement said.
The settlement potentially closes another major chapter in AMC’s long-running legal disputes over The Walking Dead, which has generated multiple profit participation lawsuits over the past decade.
Former Walking Dead showrunner Frank Darabont and CAA filed a separate lawsuit against AMC in 2013 over profit participation from the series. That case was ultimately settled in 2021 for $200 million.
The Darabont litigation also helped shape the later dispute involving Kirkman and the other producers, whose 2022 lawsuit challenged AMC’s accounting and profit calculations for the franchise.
Despite the legal battles, The Walking Dead remains one of AMC’s most valuable properties. The franchise has expanded through multiple spinoffs while continuing to generate new licensing and streaming deals.
The latest settlement comes after AMC secured a $500 million streaming agreement with Netflix in July involving The Walking Dead franchise.
With the $120 million agreement now in place, AMC and the producers appear positioned to move beyond their remaining legal disputes while continuing to participate financially in the franchise’s future.
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