Former 'The Walking Dead' Showrunner Wants AMC to Fork Over $280 Million

Former 'The Walking Dead' showrunner Frank Darabont wants AMC to pay him $280 million in damages after he was fired.

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The Walking Dead is one of those rare shows in TV history that you can mention to anyone, even olds and lames, and they're at least vaguely aware of its existence and might even feel some type of way about Negan's bat. To put that in simpler terms: The Walking Dead has a ton of fans, which equals a ton of money for AMC. But according to former showrunner Frank Darabont, a few hundred million of those dollars should actually be going to him.

The Dead co-creator and executive producer just "hit the homestretch" in his lawsuit against AMC regarding profits, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Darabont and his Creative Artists Agency agents filed a certificate of trial readiness Monday showing that they intend to seek more than $280 million in damages.

Darabont's suit claims AMC stiffed him on Dead profits by continuing to produce the series while licensing it to its cable affiliate for "not enough money," with THR noting that Darabont's contract entitled him to as much as 10 percent on certain Dead guap after deductions. The suit also argues that Darabont had his potential profit shares "improperly reduced" immediately after his controversial firing from the series during its second season.

AMC, however, isn't (currently) swayed by Darabont's argument. "Plaintiffs' damages claim has no basis in reality and we will continue to vigorously defend against this lawsuit," a network spokesperson toldTHR Tuesday. Though a possible trial won't take place until at least 2018, the $280 million in question already has this suit going down as one of the biggest in TV history.

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But don't let money woes get it twisted. The Walking Dead is still heading back to TV for some post-Negan mourning episodes starting Oct. 23. 

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