Very little about 2020 has felt right but having Walking Dead Comic-Con panel right now was just about perfect. The season ten finale aired less than a week ago and six new episodes will be coming next year before the 11th and final season starts. So just as fans got a few answers, a whole slew of new questions about the future of the franchise have arisen, many of which were addressed on the panel.
At the virtual New York Comic-Con 2020, things began with the immediate threat. Showrunner Angela Kang confirmed what comic fans assumed about those mysterious soldiers that arrived at the very end of the finale. Yes, these are soldiers of The Commonwealth, and they will play a large role moving ahead.
Someone else who’ll have a huge role moving ahead is Maggie, played by Lauren Cohan, who finally returned in the finale after a few seasons away. The biggest change for her will be that the man who killed her husband Glen, Negan, is now a part of the group. Negan himself, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, said he is very curious how that is going to play out and wonders whether Negan himself will have to explain to Maggie that he’s changed, or if the rest of the group will do that for him.
As for when we’ll see that unfold, it’ll be sooner rather than later. Kang suggested that storyline would be part of the six bonus episodes that will soon begin filming to bridge the two seasons. In the months since the covid-19 pandemic, Kang said much care has been put into the writing of those episodes, planning and writing for season 11, and, of course, methods to film upcoming episodes safely. She even said scenes had been reimagined so that characters didn’t always have to be so close.
Cast and crew are already starting to go to Atlanta so those episodes will begin to film soon, which excited all the cast. Usually, The Walking Dead films in the summer and is over by the time things get cooler. Because it’s fall now, they were all just excited to work through the winter when it won’t be so hot in Atlanta.
Eventually, though, that’ll all lead to the series ending. But it’s a long way off. There are 30 episodes left, including the 24 episode season 11. And yet, all of the cast members agreed they are in complete denial that it’s happening because it’s so far off. “We still have so much to do,” Norman Reedus said.
When it does end, his character Darryl will team up with Carol (Melissa McBride) for their own show. Reedus hinted that the show will take place on the road with Darryl and Carol going out to see what else is out there, and not staying with their friends.
Then there’s the other spinoff, Tales of the Walking Dead, which will tell contained stories filling in gaps from the shows. Though nothing specific was revealed about what that might entail, Walking Dead producer Scott M. Gimple did agree that a fan suggestion of an episode showing Ezekiel as a zookeeper was a great idea and a perfect example of the show’s potential.
Finally, there are the movies. Gimple gave the blanket “We are working on it” answer about the upcoming Rick movie, which the cast all laughed at because it was so vague. Kang suggested, however, that fans may learn more about Rick, and Michonne, in the next six episodes, specifically through the eyes of their daughter, Judith. It seems like her story may give fans some clues as to where the two stars are.
You can hear about all that and more in the full full panel below. But, beware, the audio levels were terrible.
The extended 10th season of The Walking Dead will air in 2021.