The Walking Dead‘s rumored companion series has officially received the greenlight from AMC, EW exclusively reported Friday. The currently-untitled show will be set in a different location and feature a different cast, but will exist in the same zombie-filled universe as Walking Dead.

The companion series to TV’s top-rated drama series has been in development since last year. The Walking Dead executive producers Robert Kirkman, Gale Anne Hurd and David Alpert are all on board for the new project, and Sons of Anarchy‘s Dave Erickson was selected as showrunner in March. Kirkman and Erickson recently turned in the script for the pilot to AMC.

“Almost from the beginning of The Walking Dead on AMC, fans have been curious about what is going on in the zombie apocalypse in other parts of the world,” said AMC President Charlie Collier. “In fact, beyond requests for zombie cameos, it’s the question I get asked the most. Obviously, we all take our stewardship of the original franchise incredibly seriously and we, along with Robert, Gale, David and now Dave, are all proceeding with extreme care in order to ensure that we are offering fans something truly compelling, engaging and distinct. We’re thrilled to be taking this next step with these remarkable partners.”

“There are many corners of The Walking Dead universe that remain unseen in the shadows. Being given the opportunity to shine a light into those corners and see what lurks out there is an absolute thrill. I know the fans are anxious to hear what Dave and I have been cooking up for this new universe of The Walking Dead, and I’m happy to be one step closer to sharing it with them.”

The network has kept details on the project quiet, revealing nothing other than the fact that the show won’t take place in the same state as The Walking Dead, which returns for its fifth season on Oct. 12.

“It definitely won’t be set in Georgia—I can at least say that. It’s important to us that this show exists on its own,” Kirkman told IGN. “The spinoff has to be a show worthy of existing, or else we’ve all sold out. So that’s something we’re all working hard towards doing, and I think we can pull it off. I think that the ideal situation is, when you’re watching the spinoff, you’re like, ‘Wow, this is a really awesome show.’”