In Dunn's view, Face Off and Project Runway weren't nearly enough.
To make STA Network crush HBO and Showtime for good—and avoid the kind of subscriber drop-off that hit after Band of Brothers ended—he needed more top-tier content.
Vivendi had agreed to sell Blizzard Entertainment, which was a win.
Dunn had already tipped off his writing team to connect with Blizzard's execs and start crafting a Warcraft TV series script.
But Warcraft was uncharted territory—no such show had existed in his past life. Even with a massive budget, it could flop.
He needed a safer bet to back it up.
His pick? The Walking Dead!
When Game of Thrones was taking the world by storm, The Walking Dead was the only show that could go toe-to-toe with it. In fact, it often came out on top at the Emmys.
Rainbow Media's AMC theater chain had tanked and was sold to Wanda, but their TV network? Thanks to The Walking Dead, it became one of America's most recognized cable channels, with profits soaring.
AMC Network had become Rainbow's backbone.
Now, it was time to bring The Walking Dead to STA and let it work its magic!
Plus—
The Walking Dead was a horror-driven zombie series. On AMC, a basic cable network, content restrictions meant they couldn't go all out with shocking visuals.
STA had no such limits. As a premium cable network, it could push boundaries, letting The Walking Dead's gritty, visceral imagery shine.
As for the director, it had to be the original: the legendary Frank Darabont!
His name might not ring bells for everyone.
But mention The Shawshank Redemption or The Green Mile? Instant recognition.
Frank Darabont was the director and writer behind both!
Dunn had checked him out via the "Sunglasses System." Frank's writing skills scored a stellar 92—higher than James Cameron and George Lucas among Hollywood's big-name directors, just shy of Woody Allen's 93 and Quentin Tarantino's 94.
"Frank, come on in!" Dunn warmly ushered Frank Darabont into his office, grinning. "Man, I owe you big time. Without your help, the Ghost Rider script wouldn't have come together so fast—or turned out so damn good!"
The Ghost Rider script had hit plenty of snags during development. In the end, it took a $1 million paycheck to get Frank Darabont on board to nail it.
Zack Snyder had the final draft now, storyboarding away, with filming set to kick off in September.
Frank wasn't about to act high and mighty in front of Dunn.
Word was spreading across the U.S.: Dunn was gunning to buy Universal Pictures, Mifflin Publishing, and other assets back from the French!
It was a patriotic move, celebrated nationwide.
Universal was practically an American institution, and folks didn't love seeing such a storied company in foreign hands.
But in Hollywood, insiders were even warier of Dunn's growing clout and influence.
He might just be the next king of Tinseltown, following in the footsteps of Barry Diller and Michael Eisner!
"Mr. Walker, you're too kind," Frank said humbly. "I loved working on this. Honestly, I didn't expect Dunn Films to have such a killer writing team. Their ideas blew me away!"
Dunn smiled, a touch of pride in his eyes.
No surprise there. His writers were handpicked using the Sunglasses System, all scoring above 85 in writing ability. The two lead scribes on Ghost Rider—Deacon Whistler and Jonathan Nolan—were absolute beasts, with scores of 98 and 97. They outshone even Frank, practically unrivaled in Hollywood!
"Let's skip the small talk," Dunn said, cutting to the chase. With his status, he didn't need to butter anyone up. "I've got a question for you, Frank. You still want to direct?"
"Direct?"
Frank looked startled.
He'd helmed four films so far: Buried Alive, The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, and The Majestic.
Their box office? Brutal.
Last year's romantic comedy The Majestic, starring comedy star Jim Carrey and backed by Warner Bros. with a $72 million budget, was a disaster.
Global box office? A measly $37 million!
Worse than The Shawshank Redemption!
You could argue Shawshank was an art film, so its flop had an excuse. But The Majestic was a straight-up commercial comedy—and it bombed spectacularly.
No matter how big Frank's rep was, directing gigs were drying up. He'd likely be stuck as a writer from now on.
Still, his name and skills commanded $1 million per script.
So it was a shock when Dunn Walker—practically a god in the commercial film world—tossed him a lifeline.
Dunn grinned. "Frank, I'll be blunt. Movies aren't your thing. Your stories are too deep, packed with philosophy and human questions that a two-hour film can't contain. You need a different medium to tell them."
Frank nodded thoughtfully. "You mean… TV?"
"Exactly!" Dunn said. "Your stories need room for audiences to think. A movie's two or three hours? Too short. That's why your films haven't hit at the box office."
"TV…" Frank frowned. "I'm not sure TV can give me what I need."
Dunn laughed. "Frank, you forgetting Band of Brothers?"
"Band of Brothers?" Frank's eyes widened.
Dunn leaned in. "That show opened a new door for TV. Big-budget, high-quality series have a real market. STA Network's the perfect platform for it."
Frank caught on. "Mr. Walker, you're saying you want to bankroll a big-budget series… and have me direct?"
Dunn nodded, smiling. "Yup. Director, producer, writer—I'll give you an outline, and you can adapt it, go wild with it."
Frank didn't jump at the offer.
Even coming from Dunn, he wasn't keen on directing something he didn't vibe with.
But Dunn was confident. He pulled a slim booklet and a thick document from his desk and handed them over.
"A comic?"
Frank was surprised.
A comic-book show?
Dunn chuckled. "It's called The Walking Dead. I worked with Marvel's Robert Kirkman on it—I gave him the broad strokes, and he fleshed out the details. The other document's my full vision for the series. Take a look."
Frank shot Dunn an incredulous glance, sucking in a breath.
This Dunn Walker was unreal!
A few years back, he'd dominated the stock market, earning a fortune and the nickname "Stock Wizard."
Then he invested in tech startups. The results?
Google was now the biggest search engine.
PayPal was the top online payment platform—rumor had it eBay was eyeing a massive buyout.
Netflix, despite Blockbuster's grip on the market, had turned profitable, killing it with online DVD rentals.
That earned Dunn the title of "Angel Investor Extraordinaire."
Last year, he co-wrote a bestselling novel, Gone Girl, adding "Author" to his resume.
This April, he and Oscar-winner Natalie Portman dropped a single that shattered sales records, making him a pop star overnight.
Now he was dabbling in comics? Was he aiming to be a comic book artist next?
Frank considered himself a talent, but next to Dunn, he couldn't help but marvel.
This guy's success was no fluke.
He was a genius among geniuses!
Frank tried to rein in his shock and flipped open the unfinished comic. Two pages in, his eyes lit up. "Zombies? Realistic zombies? Wow, there's so much to explore here!"
The comic was short—just a snippet of Season 1, Episode 1.
He skimmed it, then dove into Dunn's detailed outline. His expression shifted as he read—joy, sighs, and grim focus.
Dunn didn't rush him, waiting patiently.
The original Walking Dead had a modest budget; AMC hadn't fully trusted Frank. Yet, with his stunning writing, he'd crafted an apocalyptic world that put many Hollywood blockbusters to shame.
The show didn't lean on flashy effects but on raw, end-of-the-world questions about humanity.
It used deep character work to make up for lighter visuals.
But Dunn wasn't playing small ball.
He wanted to keep the soul-searching and philosophical depth while adding the blockbuster visuals of a commercial hit!
The original Walking Dead paled next to apocalyptic flicks like I Am Legend or Constantine in terms of visuals.
Dunn was aiming for a smash hit.
Think Band of Brothers—human stories paired with jaw-dropping war scenes.
Visual impact mattered!
Problem was, Frank wasn't a trained director. His style leaned old-school, like classic filmmakers, and his handle on effects and color was… average.
Dunn narrowed his eyes, musing quietly: Looks like we'll need to pair him with someone who can nail the visuals…