AMC Networks resolved the long-running profit dispute before the case reached trial.
Summary
– Five Walking Dead producers reached a $120 million settlement with AMC Networks
– AMC expects to pay $85 million this month and another $35 million by January 2027
– The agreement ends the producers’ remaining claims after a nine-year legal battle
Five producers behind The Walking Dead have reached a $120 million settlement with AMC Networks following a nine-year legal battle over profits from the television franchise.
Robert Kirkman, Gale Anne Hurd, David Alpert, Charles Eglee, and Glen Mazzara reached the agreement before a federal trial scheduled to begin October 27 in Los Angeles.
AMC disclosed the settlement in a securities filing. The company expects to pay $85 million in September and the remaining $35 million by January 31, 2027.
The payment also affects AMC’s financial outlook. The company reduced its expected cash flow for the year from approximately $220 million to $150 million.
Both sides announced that they had reached an amicable resolution of their remaining claims and litigation involving The Walking Dead television franchise. They also expressed interest in sharing in the franchise’s continued success.
The producers originally sued AMC in 2017. They alleged that the company used its definition of modified adjusted gross receipts to reduce the profits owed to them despite the franchise generating billions of dollars.
A judge rejected that argument in 2022 and ruled that AMC had used a standard contractual definition. However, AMC’s separate $200 million settlement with former Walking Dead showrunner Frank Darabont and CAA created another possible path for the producers’ case.
Their attorneys argued that the Darabont agreement should trigger additional compensation under a most-favored-nation clause in the producers’ contracts. AMC disputed that interpretation and noted that the five producers had already received $70 million.
The producers gained momentum in 2024 when a federal judge refused to dismiss their latest complaint. Both sides had been preparing to present the case before Judge Fernando L. Aenlle-Rocha when the settlement eliminated the need for a trial.
The agreement resolves the remaining litigation involving these five producers. A separate lawsuit filed by Fear the Walking Dead showrunner Dave Erickson remains pending as AMC seeks to move that dispute into arbitration.
