The Walking Dead will have a spinoff companion series in 2015, AMC has confirmed
The hit zombie drama, which stars Andrew Lincoln, Steven Yeun and Norman Reedus, follows the story of a group of survivors struggling to stay alive in a post-apocalyptic world dominated by flesh-eating zombies.
Robert Kirkman, Gale Anne Hurd and David Alpert will exec produce the spinoff show.
"Building on the success of the most popular show on television for adults 18-49 is literally a no-brainer," said Charlie Collier, AMC's president and general manager.
"We look forward to working with Robert, Gale and Dave again as we develop an entirely new story and cast of characters. It's a big world and we can't wait to give fans another unforgettable view of the zombie apocalypse."
Kirkman added: "After ten years of writing the comic book series and being so close to the debut of our fourth, and in my opinion, best season of the TV series, I couldn't be more thrilled about getting the chance to create a new corner of the Walking Dead universe.
"The opportunity to make a show that isn't tethered by the events of the comic book, and is truly a blank page, has set my creativity racing."
The Walking Dead returns for its fourth series on AMC on October 13. It will premiere in the UK on Friday, October 18 on Fox