It has come to light that the pilot episode for the up-coming Walking Dead spin-off (code named Cobalt) has been leaked, parts of which were published by Bleeding Cool. What they got their hands on was a hard copy of the script (or portion thereof), and knowing that other copies could easily pop up elsewhere, they scanned portions of it, and paraphrased the rest to get it online as quickly as possible.

The authenticity of the script has not been completely corroborated, but Bleeding Cool has been contacted by the lawfirm David K. Caplan of Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP, with this notice:

Notwithstanding this, it has come to our attention that unauthorized excerpts from the unreleased Pilot script, as well as unreleased plot elements from the Pilot, are being distributed without authorization via your website…

Bleeding Cool removed the scanned images of excerpts from pages of the script, but replaced them with descriptions of what those scanned images showed.

After the following photo, we will be showing some of the scanned images (recovered from other sites) as well as an overview of the script excerpts. Consider this a SPOILER alert.

International Business Times reported that an AMC rep confirmed that the rumours of the show being called Fear the Walking Dead were true. This seems to be confirmed by the title on the script, as seen below:

Of course, this could also be the name of the pilot episode.

The show begins pre-walkers, at least not known by the population at large.

The pilot gives you a swerve, but the infection has not taken hold yet. The ‘walkers’ are not yet known to the population at large.

SCENE: Ian sees a friend being eaten by a friend.

We meet a dysfunctional family, headed by a mother and father (Madison and Travis), both teachers, their grown-up children Ian and Alicia, Travis’ ex Liza and their son Christopher. Unlike Rick’s family (from The Walking Dead), who are torn apart by the apocalypse, this family is tearing itself apart.

SCENE: CDC Virologist dispels rumours of the walking dead.

“Because the dead are coming, An urban legend, underground, being spread from person to person. It plays up the fact that we, the audience, know far more about what’s going on than anything else does and keeps teasing us toward the inevitable, in much the same way that Gotham does, but in the knowledge that it’s going to be over far sooner.”

Excerpt:

They circle an iPad. Footage from last night’s ‘accident’–

View from the NEWS HELICOPTER hovering over the scene. LAPD Cruiser and AMBULANCE below, LIGHTS PULSING. PARAMEDICS working an OVERTURNED CAR.

Costa

This is unreal, UN-real.

The footage is wide and high and fragmented. PARAMEDICS lay a SPINE-BOARD next to the car, driver’s side door ajar. They reach in, cut the seat belt to remove the crash VICTIM–

Costa (CONT’D)

…now watch this, watch it…

–as the Paramedics lean in, the Victim lunges. We can’t see the BITE or hear the SCREAMS–