It what has to be seen as a major shocker Frank Darabont is stepping down as the showrunner for AMC’s The Walking Dead series. Just last week Darabont appeared at Comic-Con at The Walking Dead panel with comic book creator Robert Kirkman and talked enthusiastically about Season 2, which is currently in the midst of production. It is not clear whether or not Darabont will remain with the show in any capacity. Glen Mazzara, who was the showrunner on The Shield, joined the show this season as Darabont’s aide. It is not known  at this time if he will take over as showrunner on The Walking Dead.

Darabont fought to get The Walking Dead on screen for five years. He first brought the project to NBC in 2006 and kept shopping the project around until he managed to get AMC to approve it.   Darabont wrote and directed the pilot and has supervised the creation of the scripts for all the episodes so far. 

Darabont comes from the world of feature films. He directed The Sawshank Redemption, The Green Mile and The Mist, and Deadline speculates that he may never have fully adjusted to the rigors of TV production. But The Walking Dead, which will have its second season debut on October 16th, was a certified hit attracting huge audiences for the AMC cable channel. It received a Golden Globe nomination as “Best Drama Series,” as well as Directors Guild of America and Writers Guild of America nominations.

Deadline reports that the behind-the-scenes turmoil that resulted in Darabont’s departure has not affected production of Season 2, which remains on schedule. But it’s hard not to see his leaving as a blow to the show. At the very least The Walking Dead has lost its most fervent advocate.