Frank Darabont had been around for quite some time before he created one of the greatest Stephen King adaptations ever, The Shawshank Redemption. Darabont also gave us The Green Mile, The Mist, and of course, The Walking Dead.
Darabont was The Walking Dead’s show runner until he was unceremoniously dumped, but he’s now back with Mob City, which premieres today on TNT. (Darabont even got master artist Drew Struzan to create a poster for the show, which gives him major geek Brownie points right there.)
The show will air two episodes a week, cramming a six episode season into three weeks, a move Darabont calls “semi-binge-vewing.” Noir is a bit of a departure for Darabont from his usual supernatural stories, but he told Variety he found the book L.A. Noir at the airport, and loved it, clearly seeing it as a series. Darabont clearly had a bad time with Walking Dead, and feels Mob City will be a much better experience. (Darabont was so burned by getting fired from Walking Dead that he won’t watch the show.)
And like a lot of filmmakers, Darabont feels more freedom working in TV, even if sleep is elusive. “You have to make creative decisions that get the job done…very quickly. It makes me feel leaner and more effective.”
So can Darabont deliver another winner with Mob City? We know the guy’s a great storyteller, and we’re hoping he can make a strong return from the (walking) dead with this one.
