Walking Dead spin-off series confirmed by US network AMC

The companion series will have an entirely new story and cast

British actor Andrew Lincoln stars in The Walking Dead (Rex Features )

US television network AMC has confirmed there will be a spin-off show of The Walking Dead.

The so-called “companion” series will be overseen by the original comic book’s writer Robert Kirkman, and has an initial target date of 2015.

Kirkman said: “The opportunity to make a show that isn’t tethered by the events of the comic book, and is truly a blank page, has sent my creativity racing.

“After 10 years of writing the comic book series and being so close to the debut of our fourth, I couldn’t be more thrilled about getting the chance to create a new corner of The Walking Dead universe.”

Charlie Collier, AMC’s president and general manager, confirmed that the spin-off show will have “an entirely new story and cast of characters.

He said: “It’s a big world and we can’t wait to give fans another unforgettable view of the zombie apocalypse.”

The Walking Dead, which returns for its fourth season next month, started in 2010 with an initial six episodes.

It stars British actor Andrew Lincoln (Teachers, Love Actually) as sheriff’s deputy Rick Grimes, who wakes up from a coma to find he is living in a post-apocalyptic world dominated by flesh-eating zombies.