AMC orders pilots for The Killing and The Walking Dead

US cable network AMC has ordered two pilots – a remake of Danmarks Radio’s hit drama The Killing and an adaptation of comic book The Walking Dead.

This follows the success of the pay TV broadcaster’s recent original output including Lionsgate-produced period piece Mad Men, Sony Pictures’ drug drama Breaking Bad and a remake of The Prisoner with British commercial broadcaster ITV.

The Killing, which was known as Forbrydelsen when it aired on the Danish public broadcaster, will be produced by Fox TV Studios and Fuse Entertainment, whose Danish born producer Mikkel Bondesen (Burn Notice), brought the format to the States and exec produced by Cold Case’s Veena Sud. The show, which is described as Prime Suspect-meets-The Wire, is a dark crime drama that ties three stories together with a single murder and follows a group of Seattle police detectives.

Forbrydelsen was originally a coproduction between DR, Norwegian public broadcaster NRK and Swedish public broadcaster SVT.

Meanwhile, The Walking Dead will be written, directed and exec produced by Frank Darabont, who wrote the screenplay for The Shawshank Redemption, as well as Valhalla Motion Pictures’ Gale Anne Hurd, who produced the Terminator franchise and Aliens. It is based on the comic book series written by Robert Kirkman that tells the story of a group of survivors of a zombie apocalypse.