Written by Ryan DeMarco
The Walking Dead Press Conference
Panel Attendees: Robert Kirkman, Scott M. Gimple, Gale Anne Hurd, Andrew Lincoln, Chandler Riggs, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Norman Reedus, Steven Yeun, Lauren Cohan, Danai Gurira, Ross Marquand, Michael Cudlitz, Josh McDermott, Sonequa Martin-Green.
Cast and creators of the hugely successful AMC series The Walking Dead remained tight lipped over the aftermath of that shocking cliffhanger that was the final minutes of last seasons finale, but expanded on what’s the come in Season 7.
If you recall, Rick and company had been on the road trying to escape the clutches of the Saviors, only to end up on their knees at the mercy of their leader, who goes by the name Negan. After a brief introduction, the season concluded as Negan buried his trusty bat Lucille into an unknown recipient’s skull.
Viewers were left to wonder who was killed, and as a result, the reaction was mixed. Some audiences felt cheated and claiming that the show simply wasn’t living up to its name.
Going forward, creator Robert Kirkman, Showrunner Scott M. Gimple, and Producer Gale Anne Hurd made promises that the show will show who met their untimely death at the hands of Negan in the season premiere, October 23rd, thus beginning the next chapter of the story. Kirkman made sure to point out that fans will love how the cliffhanger is resolved. That is all the group has to offer on the finale, they remained true to their word that no hints or clues would be given to who is killed.
Even though they remained closed off with that they were able to get into details surrounding the upcoming season 7. Executive producer Gale Anne Hurd made assurances that the world would get “much, much bigger” and we would meet a whole bunch of new characters. Hurd went on to point out that their will even be some characters that are neither “human or zombie.” Of course, most would guess she’s referring to Shiva, the furry Tiger companion of King Ezekiel, leader of The Kingdom. The duo debuted briefly in the Season 7 trailer that was officially released on Friday in Hall H. Kirkman explained that bringing the fan favorites in during this time just felt natural to the progression of the story this season.
Besides the debut of Ezekiel and Shiva, the trailer did a masterful job at showing any main characters keeping the question open of who is alive and dead. The first third of the trailer did show a few of the highlights our endangered heroes have experienced over the past six years. Followed by more footage of Negan and his clan of Saviors inhabiting Alexandria, then followed by the brief glimpse of the Kingdom and lastly ending with a fierce roar.
Although this season will begin with our crew hitting rock bottom, there was a sign of assurance from Rick Grimes himself, saying that our characters will start in a low place and gradually get better for them. “Plus we’ll be building to one of the best showdowns in the series.”
Robert Kirkman had capped off that promise with another, “It’s going to be worth the wait, you are all going to love it.”
Season 7 of The Walking Dead premieres October 23rd.
