We’re still a few months away from the 4th season debut of AMC’s mega-hit series The Walking Dead, but creator/executive producer Robert Kirkman is already playing spoiler, talking expectations for the new season with THR.
Not that he gives much away, but I’d say that if you’re one of those who prefers complete surprise, then you may want to skip this post.
So what’s good?
– First, expect an even more character-driven series under new showrunner Scott Gimple. Kirkman adds that, in the coming season, the series will delve deeper into the lives of the show’s key characters, bringing the audience even closer to them, so that when any of them is killed off, viewers feel the loss even more.
– Second, just as we’ve seen in past seasons, expect the next season to not follow the original source comics closely, and instead provide what Kirkman calls “a different take on the material.” Although he says that there will possibly be some scenes that are a little bit closer to the comic than they’ve done in the past, adding that season four will likely contain the most number of scenes that direct adaptations from the comic series.
– Third, season 4 will begin with a time jump. The series won’t say exactly how much time has passed, but audiences will know that some time has passed since the end of season 3. Kirkman only says “a few months.”
– Fourth, the Governor is obviously still in play, although Kirkman says that we’re going to see him in a new light and he won’t appear until we least expect it, adding that he doesn’t believe audiences will be able to anticipate what they do with the Governor, and that he’s going to be “radically different.“
– Fifth, and maybe of most interest to a lot of you folks, Kirkman singles out Michonne (Danai Gurira) specifically, saying that she’s “going to have quite a bit going on with her,” after Andrea’s death, adding that she’ll be on a mission to hunt down the Governor. “It’s something she’s very obsessed with. It’s big part of her character this season. She did lose Andrea and she lost her because of the Governor. She’s not willing to let that guy go or be out there.” Kirkman then let’s it slip that Michonne’s relentless focus on taking out the Governor, “is something that may possibly be to her detriment.” Uh-oh. Is he hinting at something there? I certainly don’t think Kirkman would be so foolish as to give anything so major away in a pre-season interview. But, naturally, one must speculate. He also suggests that Michonne’s dedication to finding the Governor may conflict with what Rick (Andrew Lincoln) has planned for the group.
– Sixth, Kirkman does briefly mention Lawrence Gilliard Jr.’s addition to the cast, playing a character named Bob Stookey, stating, “Bob Stookey is very much the character that he was in the comic series. He also appears in the novel series and is a pretty big character there as well. Maybe that means we’re adapting some of the stories he was involved in, maybe we’re doing some other things he was a part of or maybe we’re going a different way […] Bob will be someone who is familiar to the comic and novel audience but we’re definitely not married to doing those stories and could do different things there.”
You can read the full interview HERE.
Season 4 of The Walking Dead returns this October with brand new episodes. Still alive and returning next season will be regulars Andrew Lincoln, David Morrissey, Steven Yeun, Norman Reedus, Danai Gurira, Chandler Riggs, Lauren Cohan, Scott Wilson, Melissa McBride, Chad Coleman, Sonequa Martin-Green and Emily Kinney.
