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Like a zombie, The Walking Dead franchise has 'decades of life left,' says AMC CEO
While a zombie will decay over time, you shouldn't expect the same thing with AMC's Walking Dead franchise. According to The Hollywood Reporter, network CEO, Josh Sapan, talked about the longevity of the brand at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia Conference in New York.
"We have an awful lot of life left in The Walking Dead — I mean decades and decades of life left," he reportedly said, referring to upcoming projects like a second spin-off series and a Rick Grimes movie (starring Andrew Lincoln) that's being co-produced with Universal Pictures. "That's an indication of a vital heartbeat in the franchise."
Sapan's comments are very promising, especially since The Walking Dead has struggled with low ratings over the last few seasons. It shows that he and AMC still have incredible confidence in the program, which continues to lead the channel after the conclusion of Breaking Bad in 2013. Moreover, their determination to keep the IP going means they aren't phased by the departures of major characters like Rick Grimes (yes, he's getting his own film(s), but he's gone from the weekly show) and Michonne (played by Black Panther's Danai Gurira).
Based on the recently-ended comic series by Robert Kirkman, The Walking Dead will return for Season 10 on Sunday, Oct. 10. A little over a week ago, showrunner, Angela Kang, teased more story beats for Daryl (Norman Reedus) and Carol (Melissa McBride), who will be the faces of the show once Michonne leaves after the new season.
“The child that [Carol] adopted and raised into teenager-hood died at the hands of Alpha and that crushed her. And we’ll see what that does to her over the course of the season as she’s pursuing revenge against this person,” Kang said. “This is one of the strongest relationships in the show. They trust each other, they love each other, they are truly best friends … They both came from trauma and from nothing. There’s some really deep stuff between them. There’s funny stuff and then there’s stuff that gets pretty hairy. They’re just kind of on this adventure together.”
Fear the Walking Dead will air the final episode of its fifth season on Sunday, Sep. 29, but was renewed for a sixth outing back in July.
