“It’s going to feel like classic ‘Walking Dead,’ hopefully,” Angela Kang tells THR of the 24 remaining episodes of the AMC favorite as she previews what to expect for two longstanding characters.
Norman Reedus as Daryl Dixon in ‘The Walking Dead.’ JOSH STRINGER/AMC
The Walking Dead showrunner Angela Kang promises pandemic restrictions and challenges will not hinder the AMC zombie drama’s final season.
“It’s going to feel like classic Walking Dead, hopefully,” Kang shares with The Hollywood Reporter ahead of the Aug. 15 final season premiere on AMC+ (it airs a week later on AMC).
For AMC’s gritty zombie drama based on Robert Kirkman’s comic book series, finding hope in the apocalypse can seem nearly impossible. Kang, who has run the show since its ninth season, notes the cast and crew “learned a lot” from working through six pandemic-impacted bonus episodes in fall 2020.
“During those six, we are so safety-oriented. We care so much about the health and safety of our cast and crew. So I feel like we really got our protocols pretty well locked down,” Kang tells THR.The pandemic threw The Walking Dead‘s 10th season for a loop as it became impossible to complete postproduction on the season finale (originally set to air on April 12, 2020) in time. Instead, six bonus episodes were tacked onto the end of season 10 and aired last spring, offering smaller, more intimate stories between prominent characters.
“When we came into season 11, we felt like we’ve learned a lot. We were able to do some of our bigger episodes again. So hopefully, for most of our audience, they’re not going to see or feel a major difference in season 11,” Kang says. “Around the edges of it, we’re still being really careful about how many extras are in a scene. We are very, very safety-minded when it comes to two people that are really in each other’s faces or anything that’s intimate or, you know, zombie attacks. We had the benefit of doing six where we kind of learned what was hard to do and what wasn’t. So we were able to come back and do one of our big seasons again.”
As for how COVID-19 protocols will impact the drama’s remaining 24 episodes, Kang notes there are some elements that the Walking Dead team “scaled down a bit across the season” from what they would have normally executed. “Things are more expensive to do right now during the pandemic. Like even just building things cost more. So everything is just affected by the global ripple effects of working during COVID.”
However, she notes her crew is still working toward delivering “the epic nature of the fun of the show, while being responsible.”
The Walking Dead‘s final season also has some time to possibly surpass the pandemic’s chaotic impact on production. Rather than featuring the show’s standard 16-episode season, AMC supersized the 11th and final season to include 24 episodes that will be stretched into late 2022. “Who knows where we’ll be,” Kang says with a laugh, noting that for the moment the show’s priorities are “being really careful” and “responsible.”
When the end ultimately does come for AMC’s flagship zombie drama, Norman Reedus and Melissa McBride will segue from the mega-hit and reprise their roles as Daryl and Carol in a new spinoff, which will also be overseen by Kang. While the spinoff effectively guarantees that the fan-favorite characters who have been with the series since its first season will survive, Kang notes there will still be high-stakes action for Carol and Daryl.
“Every moment feels like it’s infused with just a real urgency,” Kang says. “But I do feel that we also have ways of creating that urgency without it always been about whose life is on the line. We’re just playing with different kinds of stakes this year. So there is zombie danger, there’s always the possibility of people still getting injured by zombies. Even with Carol or Daryl, we know they’re moving on to something, there are high, emotional stakes. There’s a lot of questions about what’s the right thing to do and who are the right people to work with and like what can you stand?”
Kang adds that for all survivors entering the final 24-episode season, “there’s still tons of tension and danger” to take place. Soldiers in white and red suits with sophisticated weaponry have captured Eugene (Josh McDermitt), Ezekiel (Khary Payton), Yumiko (Eleanor Matsuura) and Princess (Paola Lazaro), marking the introduction of the Commonwealth, the most advanced civilization yet in the Walking Dead universe. Maggie (Lauren Cohan) and Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) are both living within Alexandria’s battered walls, with the latter accepting whatever fate may befall him from the woman whose husband he brutally murdered. Although the Whisperers have been eliminated, a hostile group known only as the Reapers lurks as a new threat against peace and survival.
With all of that to consider, Kang offers an ominous preview for what’s to come: “They’re fighting for their souls and for what is the right way forward.”
News
Johnny Depp gives his take on his ‘public’ Depp-Heard defamation trial
Johnny Depp gives his take on his ‘public’ Depp-Heard defamation trial Johnny Depp, the Pirates of the Caribbean star, seemingly broke silence on his high-profile legal battle with ex-wife Amber Heard. Depp recently attended a conference at the San Sebastian International Film…
Kelly Clarkson Pours a Cup of Chappell Roan’s ‘Coffee’ for Kellyoke
Kelly Clarkson is part of the Pink Pony Club! The superstar covered Chappell Roan’s “Coffee” for her latest Kellyoke installment during her talk show on Wednesday (Sept. 26). “If I didn’t love you, it would be fine/ I’ll meet you…
Andy Reid announces official Travis Kelce bench decision as Kansas City Chiefs star continues NFL season struggles
ANDY REID has made a major official announcement about Travis Kelce’s possible benching by the Kansas City Chiefs. The Hall of Fame-bound head coach has guided the back-to-back Super Bowl champions to a 3-0 start this season. 2 Travis Kelce looking miserable…
Doctor Explains Johnny Depp Might Have Been Suffering Some Serious Health Problem Since Amber Heard Saga
Johnny Depp has reportedly fixed his teeth after recent images of him smiling wide with his new pearly whites went viral. The Edward Scissorhands star has long received criticism for his yellow teeth when he made his first public appearance in a…
American Idol Winner Reveals They Were Attacked During “Unprovoked” Incident After Hitting Rock Bottom
American Idol winner Just Sam posted a video showing the aftermath of them allegedly being attacked on a Subway platform. The singer won American Idol season 18 after performing such songs as Fantasia’s “I Believe,” Bill Withers’ “Grandma’s Hands” and Andra Day’s “Rise…
Johnny Depp’s Only Complain about Amber Heard Trial is Why He May Have Left America
Johnny Depp had his fair share of drama during his explosive trial with Amber Heard, but his biggest complaint wasn’t about the courtroom chaos or media frenzy. Nope, it was all about the impact on his home turf. Depp revealed…
End of content
No more pages to load