‘The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live’ is The Most Expensive TWD Show Ever Made

Summary

• ‘The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live’ has a budget of $82 million ($13.7 million per episode), which is the highest among any show in the TWD franchise.
• The exceptionally high budget is due to the massive pay checks of stars Andrew Lincoln and Danai Gurira and the rising costs of CGI and production values.

The ‘Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live’ reportedly has a higher budget than any other creative in the zombie franchise. The spinoff will drop in February and feature the highly anticipated return of Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) and Michonne (Danai Gurira). 

Lincoln was the first-ever protagonist of the franchise but left the show after season 9 (with only a cameo in season 11). He will finally be back in February with his own spinoff show.

New Jersey Economic Development Authority reports that the budget of The Ones Who Live is the highest among any Walking Dead show so far. The agency has recorded the total budget to be $82 million, which equates to roughly $13.7 million per episode.

This is way higher than the last Walking Dead spinoff, The Dead City, which reportedly was made on a budget of $72 million ($12 million per episode).

The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live also dwarfs the original Walking Dead series in spending. In fact, it shells out almost four times as much as the original series per episode. The original series had a modest budget of $3 million per episode, which was even trimmed down to $2.75 million in the final seasons.

However, the spinoff’s budget appears almost minuscule compared to other shows like The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power or Stranger Things S4. The shows are reportedly being made on staggering budgets of $58 million and $30 million per episode, respectively.

The exponential rise in the costs of creatives is because of unprecedented inflation in production values, CGI, and the PR campaigns necessary to stay relevant in today’s cut-throat industry.

Another thing to remember is that the actors’ paychecks take up a big chunk of the budget. Lincoln and Gurira are two of the biggest stars of The Walking Dead franchise, and it makes sense for them to be paid heftily. 

Finally, we can expect outstanding CGI to accentuate the gore-filled zombie bonanza because the makers haven’t left any stone unturned in terms of spending. 

About The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live

The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live is an American post-apocalyptic television series created by Scott M. Gimple and Danai Gurira for AMC. It is set after the conclusion of the original The Walking Dead series, with Andrew Lincoln, Danai Gurira, and Pollyanna McIntosh reprising their roles.

The Ones Who Live is the sixth spin-off and overall seventh television series in The Walking Dead franchise.

The Ones Who Live premiered February 25, 2024, on AMC and AMC+.