AMC has announced thatThe Walking Deadwill end after the upcoming Season 11, which will begin airing in late 2021. Meanwhile, the network has also ordered a spinoff series that will follow Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus) and Carol Peletier (Melissa McBride), the only twoTWDcast members who have been with the flagship series since its first season. That show is expected to debut in 2023.
Season 11 ofThe Walking Deadwas supposed to air this year, but it was delayed in the wake of the pandemic.TWDis now expected to return in early 2021 with six episodes that will be considered part of Season 10 before an expanded 24-episode Season 11 begins airing later in the year. An episode that was originally intended to serve as the Season 10 finale will air on Oct. 4.
As for the untitled Daryl-Carol spinoff, plot details remain under wraps, but the series hails from co-creatorsAngela KangandScott Gimple. Kang currently serves as showrunner onThe Walking Dead, and she’ll also serve as showrunner on the spinoff. Gimple used to be the showrunner onThe Walking Dead, and he now serves as the chief content officer of theTWDuniverse.
“I look forward to digging in with our brilliant writers, producers, directors, cast and crew to bring this epic final chapter ofRobert Kirkman’s story to life for our fans over the next two years,” said Kang. “The Walking Deadflagship series has been my creative home for a decade and so it’s bittersweet to bring it to an end, but I could not be more excited to be working with Scott Gimple and AMC to develop a new series for Daryl and Carol. Working with Norman Reedus and Melissa McBride has been a highlight of my career and I’m thrilled that we get to keep telling stories together.”
“It’s been ten years ‘gone bye;’ what lies ahead are two more to come and stories and stories to tell beyond that,” said Gimple. “What’s clear is that this show has been about the living, made by a passionate cast, team of writer/producers, producers, and crew, bringing to life the vision put forth by Robert Kirkman in his brilliant comic — and supported by the best fans in the world. We have a lot of thrilling story left to tell onTWD, and then, this end will be a beginning of moreWalking Dead— brand new stories and characters, familiar faces and places, new voices, and new mythologies. This will be a grand finale that will lead to new premieres. Evolution is upon us.The Walking Deadlives.”
“The Walking Deadmade television history, and is one of those rare creative works that has given life to an entire content universe that is still in the early stages of growing and entertaining both new and established fans,” added AMC’sEd Carroll. “We can’t wait to bring viewers this expanded final season ofThe Walking Deadover the next two years, and launch the fourth series in the history of the franchise, focused on the beloved Daryl and Carol characters, with the incredibly talented Norman Reedus, Melissa McBride, Angela Kang and Scott M. Gimple. There really is so much ‘walking’ ahead, in a number of very exciting directions, for this extraordinary creative universe we callThe Walking Dead.”
AMC’s companion series,Fear the Walking Dead, will return for its sixth season on Oct. 11, whileThe Walking Dead: World Beyondwill premiere on Oct. 4 following the flagship series. AMC also has an aftershow,Talking Dead, hosted byChris Hardwick, while Gimple is also developing an episodic anthology series calledTales of the Walking Deadthat will feature one-off episodes built around new and existing characters within theTWDuniverse.
Additionally, AMC and Universal Pictures are currently developing a series of movies that will follow Rick Grimes.Andrew Lincolnwill reprise hisWalking Deadrole after playing the character for nine seasons. For more on that ambitious plan,click here.
