AMC Global Media agrees to $120 million settlement over Walking Dead profit dispute

AMC Global Media announced on Tuesday that it has reached a settlement with the creators of The Walking Dead franchise, agreeing to pay a total of $120 million. The deal resolves the profit-participation lawsuit filed in 2022 by Robert Kirkman, Glen Mazzara, David Alpert, Charles Eglee and Gale Anne Hurd, who alleged that AMC’s accounting methods underpaid them for the original series and its spin-off Fear the Walking Dead.

AMC will remit $85 million immediately, with an additional $35 million scheduled for next year, which will also serve as an advance against future profit participation. The settlement was finalized on September 4 and follows earlier litigation, notably a 2021 $200 million agreement with Frank Darabont and CAA over the same franchise. The Walking Dead remains AMC’s top-earning series, underscored by a $500 million streaming partnership with Netflix signed in July. Both sides expressed optimism about continuing to share in the franchise’s ongoing success.