"The Walking Dead" Producers to Create Pre-Apocalyptic Korean Drama Series

Skybound Entertainment, the company behind the hit cable show “The Walking Dead” has announced that they will be partnering with Viki to produce a pre-apocalyptic Korean drama series “Five Year.”

Based on an original story by “The Walking Dead” creator Robert Kirkman, the story follows a family living under the threat of a deadly meteor headed toward Earth.

“Five Year” will be shot as a Korean drama with a local cast and crew. It will debut in Korea on broadcast television and be available worldwide on Viki. The first season is expected to have 16 episodes with filming beginning this year. The series will take place over the course of five years with five seasons planned.

“This has been a story I have wanted to tell for quite some time, but [David Alpert, president and co-founder of Skybound Entertainment] and I wanted to make sure it found a proper home where it could grow and breathe creatively. Looking at what Viki has done in not only the dramatic series space, but transforming the way viewers consume and translate media, we knew immediately ‘Five Year’ had found its home,” said Robert Kirkman, CEO and co-founder of Skybound Entertainment

“In many ways, Viki and Skybound represent the future of global entertainment, particularly with Hollywood-Asia collaborations and VOD platforms like Viki leading distribution and fan-building,” said Tammy H. Nam, CEO of Viki.

“We’re thrilled to be working with the creators and executive producers of one of the most popular TV series of all time. The fact that David and Robert wanted to make ‘Five Year’ as a K-drama is a testament to the massive global popularity and quality of Asian programming.”

“Five-Year” will be the second original series co-produced by Viki. “Dramaworld,” a 10-episode miniseries set in Los Angeles and Korea with a multinational cast and crew, will debut on Sunday April 17.