AMC has hired Adam Davidson to direct the pilot episode of The Walking Dead Companion Series, which will begin production late this year.

Robert Kirkman and Dave Erickson co-created the series, which is set within the The Walking Dead zombie apocalypse, although it is set in a completely different location and the show follows new characters.

The network ordered the pilot episode back in September, and, later that month, a breakdown of the new characters were released. The characters include Sean and Cody Cabrera, a Latino father and son duo, Nancy Thompkins, a single mother with a "screwed up" teenage son Nick and a level-headed teenage daughter Ashley. The last character mentioned is Ashley Chapman, a fortysomething ex-hippie who has retreated to the outskirts of town to recover from a failed marriage.

Robert Kirkman and Dave Erickson are executive producing the series alongside Gale Anne Hurd and David Alpert. It isn't known if AMC plans on airing The Walking Dead Companion Series at the same time as The Walking Dead or not.

Adam Davidson's TV directing credits include episodes of Community, Suits, AMC's Hell on Wheels, About a Boy and Kingdom.