Dead Day Comic Book Getting Series on Peacock

Thanks in large part to The Walking Dead, zombies are earning a newfound renaissance, which includes the AfterShock comic book series Dead Day being the latest narrative featuring the living undead to be getting adapted into an all-new series on Peacock. As if the mere concept of an all-new zombie-themed drama isn’t exciting enough, the project also brings with it some notable names in the supernatural space, as Julie Plec (The Vampire Diaries, The Originals, Legacies) and Kevin Williamson (The Vampire Diaries, Dawson’s Creek, The Following) will serve as co-showrunners, producers, and writers. The original Dead Day comic series was created by Ryan Parrott.

Per press release, “Dead Day follows an ensemble of characters as they navigate the annual ‘dead day,’ when for one night the dead come back to complete unfinished business — be that to celebrate a night back on earth or to torment the living. (The hit comic-book series was recently greenlit for Volume 2). Plec and Williamson are reuniting after their last collaboration creating the long-running, fan-favorite hit TV series The Vampire Diaries.”

“Dead Day combines an exciting, high-concept premise with relatable characters and real emotion,” Lisa Katz, president scripted content, NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, shared in a statement.”We jumped at the opportunity to work with Julie Plec and Kevin Williamson, who not only have tremendous individual track records with their high-quality storytelling, but have created magic together before.” 

Vivian Cannon, EVP, Drama Development, Universal Television, added,  “Julie Plec and Kevin Williamson are each a powerhouse unto themselves, so we couldn’t have been more excited when they told us they wanted to team up again. Dead Day will be everything Julie and Kevin’s audiences love about their work-emotional, unexpected, and totally bingeable!”

Plec recently collaborated with Peacock for their upcoming YA series Vampire Academy, while Williamson recently served as producer on the latest entry into the Scream franchise, which he co-created with Wes Craven.

“We have been looking for a project to do together and Dead Day has all the ingredients we love as storytellers. Love, death, thrills and tears — and we know Susan Rovner and her team at Peacock is the perfect fit for this project,” Julie Plec and Kevin Williamson expressed in a statement. 

AfterShock Media’s Lee and Jon Kramer continued, “We realized because of Dead Day‘s unique, universally appealing concept that this AfterShock Comic would capture the audience’s imagination worldwide. And none of this would be possible without this recognition from our amazing partners: Julie Plec, Kevin Williamson, Universal Television, Peacock, and Ryan Parrott, the creator of Dead Day.”

Luckily, this sounds like it’s just one way in which Dead Day is expanding, as a new narrative in the AfterShock Comics series is on the way.

“When AfterShock first greenlit Ryan Parrott’s Dead Day comic-book series, we immediately knew we’d acquired a concept that could live and breathe far beyond the printed page of the comic,” Mike Marts, Editor in Chief, AfterShock Comics, shared. “We were overjoyed when Kevin and Julie shared that same interest and enthusiasm in the potential for this series.”

“I’m extremely grateful to AfterShock Comics for developing Dead Day with me and helping to bring it to life,” creator Ryan Parrott expressed. “I am beyond excited that Julie Plec, Kevin Williamson, Universal TV, and Peacock have embraced its universality and are bringing Dead Day to Television. And there are more Dead Day comics to come — stay tuned for news of the second volume!”

Stay tuned for details on the Dead Day series.

Are you looking forward to the project? Let us know in the comments below or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things horror and Star Wars!