The Walking Dead franchise overseer Scott M. Gimple believes the TWD Universe can live on for many years longer, so long as the series keeps hold of its stars, and creates more fan-favorite characters.
AMC’s The Walking Dead has been the most popular zombie franchise in the world for over a decade now. That accolade is more under threat now than ever, thanks to the arrival of HBO’s big budget adaptation of beloved zombie game The Last of Us, which is currently airing its second season.
That said, despite concluding its main series in 2022, The Walking Dead continues to endure through a slate of exciting spinoff projects. Most notably, we’ve seen the return of franchise favourites Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) and Michonne (Danai Gurira) in The Ones Who Live. Then there’s Daryl Dixon, which follows the titular character (played by Norman Reedus) and his foray across Europe, accompanied by Carol (Melissa McBride). And soon, AMC will air Dead City season 2, continuing the journey of Maggie (Lauren Cohan) and Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) in post-apocalyptic Manhattan.
With such a gluttony of projects, and all of them receiving decent ratings, it’s fair to say that The Walking Dead Universe is still going pretty strong. AMC continues to invest heavily in developing popular characters and expanding the zombie-filled world with tales of survival. What about the franchise’s future? Well, according to overseer Scott M. Gimple, nothing is off the table. From a return of the main series, to going back to 16-episode seasons, anything is possible.
In an interview with SFX Magazine (via GamesRadar), Gimple explained why The Walking Dead could quite easily endure into the foreseeable future. “The Walking Dead is about compelling characters in an unforgiving world, but one that is not without hope,” he said. “Because the stakes are so high, the choices these characters make define them and change them, one way or another. That’s the stuff of a great story. And the scariness, the action, the emotion, the discovery… That can go on and on, as long as we have some terrific characters.”
“There are characters from every Walking Dead series that I would love to tell stories with again, some picking up from the last time we saw them, maybe seeing some after a lot of time has passed. Robert Kirkman created indelible, addictive characters and we’ve always just tried to keep pace with him.”
Gimple’s confidence in the franchise continues to suggest that we could be seeing The Walking Dead on our screens for at least the next decade. He’s previously rhapsodised about taking the series to more continents, including Asia and Africa.
Up next is Dead City season 2, airing on May 4. For more Walking Dead updates and beyond, consider subscribing to our free, weekly newsletter
