A few sources are reporting that Robert Kirkman’s amazing zombie comic book series the Walking Dead is a step closer to making it to our television screens.  AMC has ordered it to series before the pilot has been even shot, just on the strength of Frank Darabont’s vision for the show.

According to Variety:

AMC has given a series greenlight to “The Walking Dead,” the Frank Darabont-helmed adaptation of the Image Comics series by Robert Kirkman.

AMC has ordered a total of six episodes of the series that revolves around a group of survivors of a zombie apocalypse. Darabont penned and directed the pilot and will exec produce with Kirkman, Gale Anne Hurd of Valhalla Motion Pictures and David Alpert of Circle of Confusion, which will be funded entirely inhouse by AMC parent Rainbow Media. Charles Eglee, a seasoned TV drama showrunner, has also boarded the project as an exec producer

“Dead” is targeted to preem in October, dovetailing with Halloween and AMC’s annual “Fearfest” two-week marathon of horror and thriller pics.

Johnny Lee Miller, who was recently been seen on Eli Stone and a favorite movie of ours Hackers, is being thrown around as a possible actor to portray the lead character Officer Rick Grimes.