Sometimes, it seems like there are more plot twists behind the scenes of The Walking Dead than on screen.

Frank Darabont, the famed director of The Shawshank Redemption and The Mist, is stepping down as showrunner from AMC's zombie drama The Walking Dead. Considering just how instrumental Darabont was in bringing the show to life, it's a bit of a shock.

EW is reporting that Darabont, who recently appeared enthusiastic about the show's second season at Comic-Con, "never quite having gotten the hang of switching from films to a TV show." There's no confirmation whether Darabont made the decision or if it was the higher-ups from AMC who cut him loose.

The story's particularly interesting when you remember that a big writing staff mix-up occurred back in late November/early December. While comic creator Robert Kirkman explained that the writers hadn't been fired, it appeared that Darabont had been responsible for letting go of the entire writing staff. The fact that this is a longer season than the first might lend to the explanation that Darabont was simply fatigued by the pace of creating a television series.

Darabont has been heavily involved in the show's second season, and it's unknown whether the changes will affect the latter part of season 2 or won't take effect until season 3.

Now, I'm not sure anyone outside of AMC really knows what's going on. We'll keep you posted as this story develops.

The Walking Dead will return to AMC in October for its second season.