In the shadowy space between reality and hallucination, filmmaker and stuntman Michael Mayhall has created a world that grips the imagination and refuses to let go. His five-part limited series, The Madness of David Judge, streaming now on Tubi, Amazon Prime Video, and Movie Central, is not just a story—it’s a descent into the fractured mind of a man wrestling with love, betrayal, and the terrifying weight of loss. Mayhall, whose career has taken him from stunt double on The Walking Dead to feature films like Deepwater Horizon, opens up in this candid conversation about the heartbreak and humanity that fueled his vision, the twisted corners of his imagination, and why this series is unlike anything else on the screen today.
So first of all we’re not going to call it a movie because it’s a series right?
It is a series. A limited series. Five episodes.
Are you going to do more?
I would love to. I think it depends on the audience. The cast and the crew, we all want to do another series. In a perfect world we would do a Part Two and a Part 3 and kind of complete the whole story. But, it is hard to pull the trigger on that without an audience. So, we need people to find it.
The story goes back and forth between reality and hallucination, what inspired you to be so crazy?
It’s just my twisted little mind. I think I’m just putting pieces of myself out there. The story is about David Judge — I’m trying not to give too much away because I am really bad at this —I want to tell everybody everything that happened. It is about a man, David Judge, who is a best-selling author. A fantasy author — so, his character has an active imagination, much like myself. He finds out his wife has been cheating on him and he escapes New Orleans and heads to his fishing cabin, out in the marshes of Louisiana … where he starts working on his book.
But, what he wants and needs is a mental break from his wife, who is also his publicist and agent for the book. So, they have to communicate about his book that is coming out. And it is there, when he gets alone and is isolated that the crazy starts happening.
Are they hallucinations? Is it real? Is it not? I think the journey is worth the payoff. The mysteries to solve that all build to the climax — it is worth watching and finding out what happens. And, I think to see if you can solve the mystery of what is happening on both a supernatural level and very grounded human level.
How much of this is based on true life experience?
That is actually a really good question. I’m daglad you asked that. Because in one way you can look at this story and say that it is a really kind of dark metaphor for broken love and broken hearts — when you love somebody and they hurt you in a way that you can’t explain. So, in one way it’s really kind of a dark look at that journey of love and betrayal and how we all deal with it. And how that may manifest. And that has a lot to do with his breaks in reality.
So once again how does this relate to you?
I have had my heart broken. I’ve been on both sides of the fence of broken hearts. I have broken hearts and I have had my heart broken. We have all been in relationships that have been good and bad. It is not that it’s autobiographical, but I was definitely working through some drama and trying to work some things out. A lot of people that have seen it including the cast and crew have asked if I was working something out in my head. Maybe a little bit. If you look at it through that lens — of a broken heart — and you go and watch the series, I think it will resonate with people. I think that is the real human element of the story. That hurt and that pain that we all sort of have to go through to come out the other side.
I wrote the script just sort of dealing with some of my own ghosts and demons. But because I love fantasy and I love horror that all infuses into it. At some point in time the story takes on its own life. You start the way you want to go, and you start marching down there and the story kind of breathes its own life through it and now you have to listen to the characters as they talk to you. That is eventually what happened.
I’ll get very real for a second. Towards the very beginning of our filming, I found out that my stepfather had stage four cancer. Within 6 months he was gone. I think that infused a little bit. I don’t want to say 100% did but I feel like I was always feeling that weight of an impending loss. I hoped for the best, but I knew what was coming. And that sentence, hoping for the best, but knowing what is coming … I think you can put that into anything that you feel that you love that you don’t want to let go of. So, I felt that a little bit. As the show progressed, I was acutely aware of loss and pain and the main actor Jeremy Sande who plays David Judge he keyed into that in his own right. We had a lot of conversations about it. I think you really feel David’s loss. But, what I was putting into it and he was putting into it was from different directions — that very grounded human pain comes across in the story of David Judge. And then of course, you’ve got the real side of the supernatural coming in and the fractured reality which takes it to a completely different dimension.
So in this series you didn’t go for, as a matter of fact I think you kind of avoided it, jump scares.
100%. I tried as hard as I could to avoid jump scares. I didn’t want it to be a corny bloody film. It’s got some of that in it, but we really wanted to avoid all of that. The whole show is from David’s perspective. And David is a good man trying to deal with an incomprehensible situation. Real pain and loss and something darker lurking in the shadows. Everything was from his perspective. He is not a violent man or an angry man. The show twists and turns, but it’s all from his perspective. I wanted it to be something that you felt in the pit of your stomach and that no matter what … it just wouldn’t let go, and let the anxiety and the pressure build and build — and still not let go.
The titles you have are pretty fucking scary. How did you come up with them?
Most of the titles in one way or another reflect books that I liked or stories that I liked. For example, “Suddenly There Came A Tapping” Edgar Allan Poe “The Raven”. That was the first kickoff. Shadows and Secrets have to do with the episode itself. And from there on out they have to do with what is in the episode. I kicked it off with one of my favorite poems. At the top of each episode I started off with a quote and the quote is from an author that I really love. And that quote, for those who catch it highlight the theme of that episode.
What are you hoping the audience takes away from it aside from loving it?
I hope they talk about it. The people who have seen it they are intrigued by the mystery of what happens with David and his wife. They are super intrigued by the end. I’ve had friends of mine that have seen it and they both have different beliefs on the outcome. And while there is an answer, I love the conversations it has started — it is all about the ending and solving the mystery — yet people see it differently (and that’s great), it depends on what side of the conversation you come down on. It is their viewpoint on the journey that they took. I can’t say it because you’ve got to watch it. You want to go on the journey – I promise. So, what I hope is that they like it enough that they comment on it or post about it and that allows us to do a part two. But also, I just like the idea that everyone’s talking about it and what they think it means. The show is really cool in that you watch it once and you understand what’s going on. And if you have the desire to watch it again it is like watching a completely different show. Because you understand the madness. Everything he says and everything he is doing and everything he is witnessing suddenly takes on a brand-new meaning.
You’ve been in thrillers, horror things, the Walking Dead, I would like people to get to know you because if they know you better they’ll watch you. I would like to know what the Walking Dead did for you? Because everyone knows that.
That was really cool. I had a degree in performance, writing and directing. Then I got into stunts. I was hired on The Walking Dead as an actor and stunt guy. The first time I was up there for 2 or 3 days. It was a terrible tragic story where I learned that I get air sick in a helicopter. I don’t know how much detail you want me to go into. I didn’t know. I guess it was just one of those things you kind of find out when you are flying above tree tops, doing figure eights in the air in a helicopter. And you realize this is not going to end well for me. Or the person next to me. And all the people below me.
I got hired to play a character named Franklin in season 3. It was a great episode it was the introduction of the governor character. It was a small little bit part no big deal. It didn’t level up my career, but the story I walked away with was great. I ended up being really sick…all over myself and the guy next to me. When I first landed, they, the whole crew, all ran around pointing and laughing. There’s nothing like having the whole crew, the directors, the producers, the cast of The Walking Dead just laughing at you. I couldn’t hide it. They saw it all on camera. Ultimately there was no harm or foul because they brought me back up several times to do stunt double work. But not in a helicopter. I did stunt double work for Daryl Dixon. I played a zombie a few times. It was a great experience. What was really good about that is that I met the producers of the show and I told them I really wanted to direct and they told me that I just had to do it. These people that were way high up just telling me that I had to go for it. Roll the dice. And that’s what I did.
Where do you live?
I live in New Orleans. Right outside of New Orleans, Louisiana. I was born and raised there. I moved away to Orlando, Florida. I did all the theme parks and theater and stuff. Eventually I moved out to Los Angeles. And now I’m back. The first time I moved out to Los Angeles it was at the height of the writer’s strike. I had never experienced anything like that. I’m living in this tiny little apartment. I am paying a gajillion dollars a month. Right about when things are turning around for me, my mother had to have a massive shoulder surgery which kind of put her out of commission for 6 months. So I went back to help her. But when I went back to help her the movie industry was thriving. That was 2010. I got rid of my apartment and drove home. Lived with my mom for about a year and a half. That shoulder surgery failed so she had to have another one. It was really kind of a wonderful, interesting time there. The movie scene was thriving. So, I was working as an actor and a stunt person. I was learning all sorts of things about the camera which eventually led to my first film. I got there in 2010 and in 2012 I made my first feature. After that I knew this was what I wanted to do.
If you could have me ask you any question on the planet what would it be and how would you answer it?
I would like for you to have asked me that question yesterday so I could have an answer to that question today. It’s hard for me to answer that because I hate talking about myself. I love talking and getting to know people and having conversations. This feels like we’re just hanging out and talking. I’d rather know about you. What question would you like me to ask you?
You did already. Who is my craziest client? I might put you on that list you never know.
We will see. You know I’ve jumped off a lot of things, and I’ve been set on fire, so I don’t know if that counts as crazy because that’s just my job.
I’m going to ask you a stunt question. It’s not real fire is it?
Yeah, oh yeah.
Do you like burning?
No not at all. In fact, it’s really hot. I’ve only done what they call partial burns. Like one side of my body. My arm. Partial burns. Little burns. Most of that was on a movie called Deep Water Horizon. A Mark Wahlberg movie. But I’ve had friends that do full fire burns, like from head to toe and they’re running around.
I would love to see someone burn like that.
I’ll see if I can get my buddy to send me a clip.
Or the next time you burn can you invite me I’ll come LOL.
I’ll let you know. I’ve been really privileged to work with a lot of great people. As a stunt person and an actor. You always just kind of keep your distance and watch and observe. I can remember distinctly being on set and watching the stunt guys and I thought that’s the upper echelons there. I’m a stuntman, but these are guys are the ones who have gone on to become Captain America stunt doubles and direct big stunt movies. That’s them, I know that I’m not going to be them – that level of stunt man. Because that’s not where my passions really lie.
I doubled down on what I really loved and that’s storytelling. Directing and telling a story. The actors that I’ve directed enjoy working with me. They tell me that it is because I’m an actor, like I studied it. So, I understand the actor needing to talk to the director side and the director needing to talk to the actor side. But it’s all about the story. You need to pull that story out of people. What are they hiding? What are they doing? Reach in and pull it out.
Is there anything that you would like to discuss?
I would say go watch The Madness of David Judge on Tubi — I mean its free … and let me know what you think. You can find me on Instagram @michaelmayhall Michael Mayhall.
So people are going to ask why?
Why watch The Madness of David Judge? Because you will enjoy it … and you don’t have to be a horror fan — but if you are you’ll like even more — if you like mind twisting mysteries and suspense, this is also for you. Or, I’m a really nice guy and I would really love if you would watch — yeah, I know that’s corny. You know, the people who worked on it, we all came together, volunteered our time to make something spectacular. Everyone who worked on this show is a professional. You have seen them in on the big screen, Netflix, HULU, AMC, BET, to name a few. It was just a labor of love. It’s a good show. And I think it deserves a shot. It is so different than anything else on there. I mean, who makes an indie series, five episodes? Nobody. We’re crazy down in New Orleans.
Watch the Madness of David Judge trailer on Youtube here:
Watch the 5 episode series on Tubi here: