Writer/executive producer/ director Frank Darabont has fired all of the writers for The Walking Dead.  The show’s departed writing staff includes writing executive producer Charles “Chic” Eglee.  While The Walking Dead has been renewed for a second season and writer turnover on series between seasons is commonplace, wholesale overhauls are unusual. Darabont is looking to forgo having a writing staff for the second season of Walking Dead altogether and assign scripts to freelancers.

Darabont, whose only series credit is The Young Indiana Jones, wrote two of the first season’s six episodes (the pilot and the second episode) and co-writing/rewriting the other four.  Two of those four were written by executive producer Robert Kirkman, Glen Mazzara and other non-staff writers.

The freelance model is employed and originated in the UK and by the Starz series Torchwood.  This works with a British produced show but with a US show the Walking Dead may face issues with the Writers Guild.  The first season of Walking Dead was only six episodes, its second-season order is for thirteen, which will be more difficult to manage in pre-production, production and post-production with no writing staff.