AMC announced on Monday that it has made the decision to revisit the post-apocalyptic Walking Dead world with a third unique series.
Not much is known about the new untitled series so far, but it’s not being referred to as a spinoff to the original series. What we do know is that like Fear the Walking Dead, the new show will be set in the same universe and will, according to AMC:
“…feature two young female protagonists and focus on the first generation to come-of-age in the apocalypse as we know it. Some will become heroes. Some will become villains. In the end, all of them will be changed forever. Grown-up and cemented in their identities, both good and bad.”
Filming of the first 10 episodes is set to start in Virginia this summer, with the show being released next year, in 2020. Many of the writers and producers of the long-running series are set to be involved in the next flesh-eating installment. Scott Gimple, the chief content officer for The Walking Dead franchise, is creating the project alongside Matt Negrete, a longtime Walking Dead writer and producer, who will also act as showrunner.
Speaking to Variety, AMC’s Sarah Barnett said that:
“We believe in the underlying vitality of the ‘Walking Dead’ universe. ‘Walking Dead’ itself continues to be the number-one show by some margin. This show just continues to be an incredible boon for us. It’s something another cable or streaming network would actually kill for.”
This new series will mark TEN YEARS of The Walking Dead on our TV sets (a “Decade of the Dead”, as Scott Gimple says) and fifteen years since the release of Robert Kirkman’s original comic, which the TV show is based on.
Even though we may have reached peak-zombie craze a few years ago, the mythology that surrounds our undead friends has continuing appeal and a loyal fanbase. Perhaps even more importantly for AMC, Variety reported that The Walking Dead franchise is one of the highest earners of advertising on cable TV. Who knew the dead could be so profitable?
And AMC plans to keep the dead walking for the foreseeable future. Season nine of The Walking Dead concluded last week, with season ten set to launch in October 2019. Season five of Fear the Walking Dead will be released in June, and AMC is also planning to release three Walking Dead feature-length films that will follow the adventures of the original shows lead character, Rick Grimes, after he left the series.
It seems like the dead really might be taking over.
