With AMC continuing to bag stellar ratings with THE WALKING DEAD (and deservedly so), naturally other networks would soon begin to look for their own rival zombie shows. The BBC announced IN THE FLESH last month, and now ABC have revealed plans for THE RETURNED, an adaptation of Jason Mott’s debut novel, due to be released in September 2013. Here’s a synopsis: 

A family gets caught up in a worldwide event in which loved ones return from the dead exactly as they last were in life. Lucille and Harold Hargrave wonder: Is their dead eight-year-old son’s return a miracle or an impending sign of something horrible?

Mott’s novel may not have the most sensational of concepts, but it’s refreshing to see the genre approached from a different angle – aren’t we all getting a little tired of watching the zombie apocalypse retold over and over again? We’d imagine that THE WALKING DEAD, should it continue its run for many years to come, will naturally be the final word on that story. The rights to adapt THE RETURNED sparked a bidding war between several companies, with Brad Pitt’s company Plan B (who also have WORLD WAR Z hitting next year) and Brillstein Entertainment Partners winning out. It’ll be intriging to eventually find out what all the fuss is about.

Expect THE RETURNED to air on ABC late 2013.

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