'The Walking Dead' reaches end of the road after 11 seasons
AMC announced that its popular zombie series The Walking Dead will end with an expanded 24-episode eleventh season in 2022.
Although the TV adaptation of Robert Kirkman’s zombie epic is coming to an end, fans of the groundbreaking series will be treated with a brand new spin off starring the crossbow-weilding Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus) and Carol Peletier (Melissa McBride) which will premiere in 2023. Current showrunner Angela Kang will oversee the upcoming project.
“I look forward to digging in with our brilliant writers, producers, directors, cast and crew to bring this epic final chapter of Robert Kirkman’s story to life for our fans over the next two years,” said Kang. “‘The Walking Dead’ flagship series has been my creative home for a decade and so it’s bittersweet to bring it to an end, but I could not be more excited to be working with Scott Gimple and AMC to develop a new series for Daryl and Carol. Working with Norman Reedus and Melissa McBride has been a highlight of my career and I’m thrilled that we get to keep telling stories together.”
Meanwhile, Scott Gimple, the chief content officer of The Walking Dead, is also developing a new anthology series with AMC titled Tales of the Walking Dead which will focus on “new or existing characters, backstories or other stand-alone experiences.” Apart from that, Gimple is also developing several projects featuring The Walking Dead universe.
“We have a lot of thrilling story left to tell on TWD, and then, this end will be a beginning of more Walking Dead — brand new stories and characters, familiar faces and places, new voices, and new mythologies,” Gimple said. "This will be a grand finale that will lead to new premieres. Evolution is upon us. The Walking Dead lives.”
Reacting to their upcoming show, Reedus said that he’s excited to see what will happen with Daryl and Carol after the events of The Walking Dead.
“Daryl’s relationship with Carol has always been my favorite relationship on the show (sorry Rick),” Reedus said. “I love the way these characters interact and relate to each other on so many levels and can’t wait to see where their ride goes from here.”
Meanwhile, McBride said that she’s also thrilled with the new project, adding that she’s curious how Kang will expand the story arcs of the beloved characters.
“In playing Carol, and as a viewer of the show, I’ve also long been intrigued with ‘Daryl and Carol,’ and by what so early on between them, even then, felt somehow bound,” said McBride. "Their shared history is long, and each’s own personal fight to survive, even longer – the more obvious aspect of what has kept them close and loyal. But there is also a rather mysterious aspect to their fondness for one another that I enjoy, and their playfulness when the world permits."
AMC previously announced that the show’s cliffhanger will finally have its much-awaited pseudo conclusion on October 4. The penultimate episode of of the show left the events in the post-apocalyptic zombie show in a standstill following the fallout from a real-life pandemic spawned by COVID-19. Kang added that apart from the supposed episode finale that is scheduled to air this October, The Walking Dead’s current season will also have six additional episodes which will be aired early next year.
The Walking Dead first premiered in 2010 and immediately garnered a cult following across the globe.
(Images from IMDB)