In our exclusive interview, long-time The Walking Dead director Michael Satrazemis reflects on his work on the franchise, the latest season of Dead City, and reveals his vision for a potential spinoff.
We recently had the opportunity to chat with long-time The Walking Dead director Michael Satrazemis about his work on the beloved zombie franchise. Over the years, Satrazemis has helmed dozens of episodes throughout the series, ranging from the main show to its myriad spinoffs, including Fear the Walking Dead, Tales of The Walking Dead, The Ones Who Live, and of course, the latest season of Dead City.
Satrazemis’ work on the franchise has been instrumental, with him helming some of the most iconic episodes ever. This includes season 4 episode The Grove, which is regarded as one of the show’s very best instalments. “[The Walking Dead Universe] has been a creative journey for me to living beyond my initial dreams,” he said. “It started as a Camera Operator, to Director of Photography, to Director, to Producer, to Executive Producer. But telling the story in the present moment with so many talented creators is where my heart sits.”
“The Walking Dead Universe has always been so much more than a zombie apocalypse show. It’s about humanity and all the beautiful emotions that come from the human experience. With so many amazing characters and so many different shows, it has never gotten old for me.”
His work on the show has delivered countless fan-favorite episodes. For him, one episode stands out from the crowd. “My first The Grove stands out,” he explains. “It was such a beautiful story from Scott Gimple that was a sort of standalone episode we could craft like a movie. If I mention another I’ll have to mention 20 more, so i’ll stick with that.”
Season 4 episode The Grove currently stands at a wildly impressive 9.2/10 rating on IMDb.
Michael Satrazemis discusses Dead City season 2.
His most recent work in the franchise came in Dead City season 2, where he helmed four episodes, including the epic season finale. The spinoff takes place in Manhattan, allowing for a unique visual language. “I’ve been lucky enough to create on many of the shows and be able to help create the visual language,” he said. “It’s always been important to separate the shows based on the story and locations. Dead City needed that NYC vibe and because we shot in Boston, it gave us the opportunity to pick our iconic New York locations through VFX and production design. I like to look through other NYC-based shows to see whats been done well and what hasn’t been done.”
Of course, both Lauren Cohan and Jeffrey Dean Morgan are heavily involved in the series —not just as lead actors, but also executive producers. “Both Jeffrey and Lauren are smart filmmakers and absolute experts on the apocalypse,” he said. “They have been highly involved in the process even before their executive producer roles. Not much has changed.”
Finally, with The Walking Dead Universe embarking on a globe-trotting tour in recent years, visiting France, Greenland, and soon England and Spain — we asked Satrazemis if he has any ideas for a spinoff project. To say he’s ambitious would be an understatement.
“We haven’t gone to space yet. I’d really love to give that a try. As for cast, I think we’ll have to see who can handle the G-force centrifuge training.”
This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.
We thank Michael Satrazemis for his time, and we can’t wait to see his future work on the franchise. Be sure to check out The Walking Dead: Dead City season 2, which is now streaming on AMC and AMC+.
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