The zombie genre just keeps getting bigger in the wake of Walking Dead, and now Syfy is developing its own undead drama: Z Nation.

The 13-episode series is being produced by Karl Schaefer (Eureka, The Dead Zone) and is set to debut this fall. It's being developed under B-movie production company The Asylum (Sharknado) and is described as an “action-horror series depicts the epic struggle to save humanity after a zombie apocalypse.”

Unlike The Walking Dead, Z Nation will pick up three years after a zombie virus decimates the country and follow a team of survivors tasked with transporting the only known survivor of the plague from New York to California, where the last functioning viral lab waits for his blood in hopes that a vaccine can be developed. But the survivor apparently hides a “dark secret” from the team of heroes.

It definitely sounds like it has a different flavor, and Schaefer promises it’ll add “a sense of hope to the horror of the apocalypse -- our everyday heroes take the fight to the zombies. It'll be an epic journey unlike anything you've seen before.” So, more hope than despair. If nothing else, that should at least distinguish Z Nation somewhat from the current crop.

In making the announcement, Syfy’s Senior Vice President of Programming Chris Regina noted that they hope to put a different spin on the zombie genre with this series:

“Z Nation is a unique new journey into the long established zombie genre. Instead of existential despair, the series offers hope that somehow, some way, humanity will not only survive, but triumph. In producing their first ever weekly series, our long-time partners The Asylum have created a different way of telling an iconic story.”

No word on exactly when the series will debut, or who will star, but it’s expected to show up this fall. What do you think? Do you plan on checking this one out?

(Via Coming Soon)