The Walking Dead lives on through fan-inspired convention
Television show prompts fan-inspired spin-offs, including a convention and a one-man play
The hit television series has inspired a convention, a podcast, and a one-man play, all signs of the undying popularity of the undead.
The podcast and convention are the creations of Eric Nordhoff and James Frazier, also known as the "Walker Stalkers" because of a road trip they made last autumn from Nashville, in the US state of Tennessee, to neighbouring Georgia to see the AMC show being filmed.
The convention, Walker Stalker Con, is expected to draw 10,000 or more participants when it's held early next month, Nordhoff said.
characters battle zombies known as "walkers" in the streets of downtown Atlanta and in forests, small towns and a prison.
The convention will feature appearances by some of the show's actors, including Norman Reedus, who slays walkers with a crossbow as Daryl Dixon; Andrew Lincoln, who plays Sheriff Rick Grimes; and Lauren Cohan, also known as Maggie Greene on the show.
I think it could inspire people and save lives. It's about embracing truth and love through everything you do
The series returned for its fourth season this month with its biggest audience ever. The 16.1 million people who watched the October 13 series premiere shattered the show's previous record of 12.4 million, the Nielsen company said.
Nordhoff and Frazier are neighbours in suburban Nashville, and had met every Sunday in Frazier's basement to watch . They'd heard talk of a big day of filming in Senoia, the town south of Atlanta where much of the show is produced, so they got up before sunrise and made the trip to Georgia.
"We got to meet I think eight members of the cast," said Nordhoff, 42. "Somebody called us the 'Walker Stalkers' when we were there."
The two decided to develop a podcast that has become popular with fans of the show. The podcast features discussions of many aspects of the show's storyline and interviews with people behind the scenes, such as special effects make-up expert and show producer Greg Nicotero.
In April, Nordhoff and Frazier came up with the idea of holding the convention, which will take place from November 1-3.
The show has also inspired one of its actors to stage a one-man play.
Robert "IronE" Singleton, who played "T-Dog" in the first three seasons of the show, will portray 18 characters in , which tells the story of how he grew up in the Perry Homes housing project during Atlanta's crack cocaine epidemic before he found work as an actor.
A key scene of was filmed on a downtown Atlanta rooftop just a few kilometres from the project, where violence was ever-present during Singleton's childhood and teenage years.
is a work of drama, comedy, dance, spoken word and rap. Its characters include a thug, a crack addict, Richard III from Shakespeare, God and Singleton's deceased mother.
"I think it could inspire people and save lives," said the 38-year-old actor, who will also take part in a panel discussion during the convention.
"It's about embracing truth and love through everything you do," he said.
