The Walking Dead renewed for a fourth season, Glen Mazzara out as showrunner

AMC has announced that its hit zombie series The Walking Dead has been renewed for a fourth season - which won't come as much of a surprise to anyone, considering its recent midseason finale drew a whopping 15.2 million viewers - but the big shock is that the show will also need to find its third showrunner, with Glen Mazzara joining his predecessor Frank Darabont in vacating the position due to 'creative differences'.

"AMC announces the season four pick-up of The Walking Dead. AMC also jointly announces with Glen Mazzara that for future seasons, the two parties have mutually decided to part ways," said an official statement released yesterday. "Glen guided the series creatively for seasons 2 and 3. AMC is grateful for his hard work. We are both proud of our shared success. Both parties acknowledge that there is a difference of opinion about where the show should go moving forward, and conclude that it is best to part ways. This decision is amicable and Glen will remain on for post-production on [the remainder of the third season] as showrunner and executive producer."

"My time as showrunner on The Walking Dead has been an amazing experience, but after I finish season 3, it’s time to move on," said Mazzara, who came on board the show after Frank Darabont's unceremonious exit during the production of season two. "I have told the stories I wanted to tell and connected with our fans on a level that I never imagined. It doesn’t get much better than that. Thank you to everyone who has been a part of this journey."

The Walking Dead season three is set to resume airing once more in February, while season four will presumably get underway in the fall.