AMC ain’t no fool. The network just renewed The Walking Dead for season nine, which will premiere in late 2018. And with that announcement comes a little shakeup behind-the-scenes, as current showrunner Scott M. Gimple has been promoted to Chief Content Officer overseeing the entire Dead television universe–including The Walking Dead, Fear the Walking Dead and potential brand extensions on a variety of platforms (which will officially begin when Fear the Walking Dead season four introduces The Walking Dead‘s Morgan Jones [Lennie James]). Meanwhile Angela Kang, who has been a writer on the show since 2011 and co-executive producer since 2013, will take over as executive producer and showrunner of The Walking Dead starting with this upcoming ninth season.
“The Walking Dead is a special show which started in an entirely different era of TV, and continues, in this new era, to confidently take chances to tell compelling stories that excite audiences and make them deeply connect with its characters, adapting Robert Kirkman’s brilliant comic book,” Gimple said in a statement. “As the show closes in on its tenth year, I’m honored to keep working with the talented, dedicated people behind and in front of the camera to make it all it can be, while expanding the world of The Walking Dead with new narratives like Fear the Walking Dead and a whole host of truly cool stories ahead. Angela is a big part of the heart and soul of The Walking Dead, and I’m thrilled to help facilitate her vision of the show’s next era.”
And Kang said in a statement, “I am beyond thrilled to be stepping into this new role with The Walking Dead. Working on this series and having the opportunity to adapt Robert Kirkman’s amazing comic has been a fangirl dream come true for me. I’m excited to continue working with Scott and the wonderfully supportive folks at AMC, and can’t wait to share the next chapter of the story with our fans next fall.”
Meanwhile, the long wait is over for new Fear the Walking Dead. AMC has announced a season four premiere date meaning fans will finally get closure to the questions the explosive two-part finale left dangling last fall. The spinoff series will return for season four on Sunday, April 15 at 10:00 p.m. before moving to its normal time slot of 9:00 p.m. on Sundays beginning April 22. When season three left off, the fates of more than one character were left up in the air as Nick (Frank Dillane) blew up the dam to try to take out villain Proctor John (Ray McKinnon), and while Madison (Kim Dickens) managed to make it out of the flood and safely to shore, there was no sight of Alicia (Alycia Debnam-Carey) and Strand (Colman Domingo). Did they survive the massive flood, or did they drown? If they did drown, will Fear the Walking Dead go back to show their deaths onscreen? They totally have to, right?
Are you shocked that AMC renewed The Walking Dead for season nine? If you were, lol why?! What are you most excited to see from the new season of Fear the Walking Dead? Who do you think died in the season three finale? Tweet me at @SydneyBucksbaum and let’s chat!
Images: AMC
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