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Entertainment Weekly said:Everyone take cover! Because war is finally here on The Walking Dead. All Out War, that is. The walk-up to the armed conflict was a long one, extending over a season-and-a-half from when Rick first made his deal with the Hilltop in season 6 to take out Negan, all the way to the Kingdom and Hilltop soldiers showing up en masse to drive off the Saviors in the season 7 finale. So, yeah, it took a while.
But now that weve finally reached the celebrated All Out War arc from the comics on which the show is based, the question shifts from When will the war start? to How long will the war last? After all, some felt the first huge Walking Dead villain, the Governor, overstayed his welcome when he was not dispatched by the end of season 3. The Governor eventually showed up with a second army and was defeated (and killed) in season 4s midseason finale taking Hershel and the prison down with him.
So considering the shows history in regards to how long they keep their big bads around, as well as the ever-changing pace of the program, we couldnt help but wonder: Could the war between Rick and Negan extend past season 8? We posed that question to showrunner Scott Gimple and got a very definitive answer. The war will absolutely be resolved by the end of season 8, says Gimple. Absolutely.
The admission by Gimple that the war will end in this next season also brings the focus back to the mysterious Old Man Rick scene from the season 8 trailer that appears to mirror a time-jump from the comics that happens after the war, although there could be a twist as far as how that is approached by the TV version.It also brings to question how soon we will be seeing the next group of villains known as the Whisperers and their enigmatic bald female leader Alpha. Asked whether Alpha might be making her debut in season 8, Gimple responds, Im going to give you a full no-comment on that.
[BLACKOUT]Place your bets now on Alphas arrival, ladies and gentlemen. [/BLACKOUT]But as far as the war against Negan goes, it seems we now know it will be ending sooner rather than later and no later than season 8.
The Walking Dead showrunner says Rick-Negan war will end in season 8
No surprise. I expected AMC and Gimple to stretch All Out War to fill the whole season. Smh.
Entertainment Weekly said:The best piece of advice to anyone visiting the set of The Walking Dead in season 8? Bring earplugs. Thats because there is more stuff being shot off and blown up than ever before.
Thats right, the wait is over. The war between Rick and Negan has finally begun, and Entertainment Weekly has been down to the Senoia, Georgia, set to witness it with our own eyes and ears at least whats left of them. Weve got all the on-the-scene scoop in our latest Walking Dead cover story, complete with three different covers (see below).
We spoke to all 20 members of the cast as well as the producers who make the show, and they all used the exact same word when asked about season 8: action. Its a f ing in-your-face action-packed IV of adrenaline, says Austin Amelio, who plays Dwight. Season 7 was the ramp-up and now this is the blastoff. The stuff thats happening is insane!
Danai Gurira, who plays Michonne, concurs. Weve been knocked clear off our feet, says the star, who adds that the pacing and intensity of the first four episodes is like nothing before. But perhaps our favorite description comes from Seth Gilliam (Father Gabriel), who says season 8 is like a Schwarzenegger versus Stallone action thing from the 80s. I think there are, like, 10 explosions an episode. Every time you turn around, somebodys shooting something or blowing something up. Theres some serious action that I dont think weve seen on television since The A-Team went off the air.
Its a completely different look and feel from the doom-and-gloom of season 7, when our heroes were separated and subjugated. Now the survivors are fighting back, and the actors playing them are thrilled about it. I think that last season was very painful for everybody, says Andrew Lincoln (Rick Grimes). And now you get a certain sense of a reclaiming of the old show and the swagger. Melissa McBride (Carol) agrees. This is like back in the old days, says the fan favorite. This is what I was yearning for last year.
The Oct. 22 season 8 premiere also marks the shows landmark 100th episode, giving the cast a chance to celebrate the occasion in epic fashion on EWs latest series of covers. You can choose between bromance partners Andrew Lincoln and Norman Reedus having their cake and eating it too, Melissa McBride, Danai Gurira, and Lauren Cohan popping the bubbly, or all five actors striking their favorite prom pose on a third cover that will be exclusively available at Barnes & Noble stores beginning Sept. 26. Or, dont choose at all! You can order all three covers (or any of them individually) right here.
Entertainment Weekly said:There are many questions heading into season 8 of The Walking Dead: How long will the war last? Whats with that mysterious Old Man Rick scene? Why doesnt Maggie look pregnant? Seeing as how weve supplied some semblance of an answer for all of those things, lets take a look at another burning question: Where the hell is Heath?
Well, we dont know the exact where. We just know the Alexandrian (played by Corey Hawkins) is out there somewhere after getting separated from Tara during a super-unproductive supply run. Tara and Heath were sent out on said supply run because Alanna Masterson was pregnant and going to miss some time on the show while Hawkins had landed the lead role on Foxs 24 reboot, 24: Legacy.
Hawkins was able to film a few scenes in one episode last season to help explain his disappearance, but that was it. However, we couldnt help but wonder: Now that 24: Legacy has been canceled, might we see Heath again?
We asked showrunner Scott M. Gimple what the chances are we might come across the missing Alexandrian in season 8, and there was both good news and bad news. Not a huge chance, says Gimple on the odds of seeing Heath. But we definitely have not seen the last of Heath, period. I will say that. I dont mean to disappoint the Heathies. He will be on the show. He will be within The Walking Dead again.
While we have all sorts of questions about where Heath has been and what hes been up to since he and Tara lost each other on the bridge, keeping Heath sidelined, for now, may make sense. After all, this is already an overstuffed cast filled 20 regulars. Perhaps after the herd is thinned courtesy of the All Out War arc, Heath will make his triumphant return.
Plus, the fact that Gimple says unequivocally that we definitely have not seen the last of Heath and that the character will be within The Walking Dead again seems to confirm that Heath is at least alive out there. (Unless the gang just happens to stumble randomly across his zombified remains, although that would be pretty brutal, even for this show.)
So it looks like those prayers for Heath will most likely have to continue until at least season 9. Lets just hope once we find him he is not making like some of our solitary heroes from the past and writing on walls and babbling on about Clear and other assorted nonsense.
I'm surprised they haven't recast Heath. They're a lot more forgiving than the Game of Thrones showrunners in that sense. Over there it's "You can't fit us in your schedule? See ya."
Entertainment Weekly said:Fans were shocked when they saw an image of an older Rick with a bedside cane at the end of The Walking Dead season 8 trailer, and they werent the only ones. As Andrew Lincoln told us, he was shocked and kind of excited by the reveal.
My instinct was, what a great storytelling device. That was my instinct, he says. I thought it was very interesting. And also gives us an opportunity to do something else a little ahead of the game, which I think is very, very neat.
While Lincoln would not confirm whether that scene does, in fact, represent the time-jump from the comics, he doesnt deny that it is some sort of look into the future. I mean, its a gray Rick, Lincoln told us. Its an older Rick. So by virtue of the fact that you see that means that its in the future. It will become somewhat clearer after the October premiere. Then again, it may not be. It maybe still is somewhat opaque. I think that thats possibly all I can say on the matter.
Lincolns comments seem to indicate that we will get our first but not our last look at Old Man Rick in the premiere, with more scenes and clarity to come later. Executive producer Greg Nicotero confirms to EW that, its definitely not a one-time thing, while showrunner Scott M. Gimple also says that an early look will lead to a later disclosure.
I will say that we wont know exactly what thats about after the first episode, hints Gimple. But we will know it about halfway through the season. We wont quite know what its about, and then well get an answer to that about halfway through. Its something thats going to play out.
Gimple does shoot down one popular fan theory, however: I can say that that is not him waking up from the coma in the hospital, says the showrunner about the guess that the entire series so far had all been a Rick Grimes dream. Some people thought that, and its not that.
So it sounds like while well get our first taste of Old Man Rick in the season 8 premiere, the midseason finale (or around that time) could be a time when full answers will be delivered although Nicotero may offer up a clue with his comments.
Its always fun to get a chance to think about where the show is going and where the characters are going, says the EP. And thats a really big moment in the comic book when we sort of jump forward and realize whats in store for the future. So to just to be able to give a little bit of a hint to that, I think its exciting. It shows the audience that were committed for this fantastic long-term storytelling and that Ricks got his sh together.
can you give an example?
Entertainment Weekly said:Actors come and go on The Walking Dead at a rather alarming rate. Characters are constantly introduced and killed off, leading to a revolving door okay, maybe not the best example in this case considering what happened to Tyler James Williams Noah of fresh faces taking over. And there are a lot of faces. There are currently 20 cast regulars on The Walking Dead, and only five of them have been there since season 1 (and that includes Lennie James, who appeared in the very first episode, left, and then returned full-time in season 6).
But even with all that change, the name at the top of the call sheet has remained the same: Andrew Lincoln. However, even the most committed actors and Ive never seen a lead as mentally, physically, and emotionally committed to his show as Lincoln can get restless after a long stint. With The Walking Dead now heading into its eighth season, one cant help but wonder if Lincoln might be thinking about life after the show.
You especially cant help but wonder when he tells you a story like this: I was talking to James Badge Dale about acting, and we were just talking about completing stories, says Lincoln. I think that theres an innate feeling and certainly in me that I love doing a play or doing the film because you get to put a period on the end of it and you get to do it nightly, which is really exciting. TV is different. The format is different because it is about sort of a continuum. But, you know, there is a sense to me that really needs some it sounds like Im in a shrinks head, but there is a completion thing that I think I deserve for doing it for so long. And also probably the audience would like some completion.
Lincoln was not talking about the show ending sooner rather than later. Rather, he was discussing the possibility of the show continuing on without him, which he says could be just the twist the show needs. Theres only so many ways you can bend and stretch this and that. Im not saying that the show would ever finish, but I certainly think that theres an opportunity for the show to change at some point, and I think it should.
A Walking Dead without Rick Grimes? Could that actually exist? Lincoln thinks so. Maybe this isnt a show about Rick Grimes surviving in the zombie apocalypse after all, but rather it is about his young son growing up in it. Absolutely, says Lincoln about a potential shift from father Grimes to son. Absolutely. Its beautifully set up for that for the camera to be certainly his story, and then it just shifts off. If ever there was a landscape or an environment to do that, its our show. But whether or not thats this season well, you have to find out, dont you?
Lincoln is not the only one that thinks the show can go on without him. The creator of The Walking Dead comic, Robert Kirkman says, I think it could, when asked about the show continuing without its star. Andy is the leader of this show and his dedication to the show is absolutely inspiring, he says. Everyone just looks up to him and hes a huge part of this show. But we have a very strong ensemble, and theres a lot of characters that could carry the show. The Walking Dead is a story very much about a world and a bunch of people inhabiting that world. However, Kirkman adds, I dont think we have to worry about that any time soon.
Showrunner Scott M. Gimple also says The Walking Dead could survive the loss of Lincoln. Absolutely, says Gimple. Weve just scratched the surface of this world. We dont want to go on without Rick Grimes, but again, in year 20, in year 30, who knows?
Gimple also points to the way the show has dealt with death in the past as a guide to how it might handle the loss of its most important character. We lose terrific actors and terrific characters because thats part of the narrative, says Gimple, and were always forced to go on and figure out a way to make the narrative work and to make it the best show possible after losing people. So I dont think any show is more prepared, sadly, to lose people than The Walking Dead is. As the show goes on and on and on, who knows? But Im also certain that we will do it in a way that only adds to the narrative and only makes the story richer for losing these incredible people.
So there you have it, with clues that a transition to an Andrew Lincoln-less Walking Dead could happen as soon as this season, and as far away as season 30.
Entertainment Weekly said:First he was killing anything that moved. Then he got locked up and refused to kill at all. Now? Well, thats the big question heading into season 8 for Morgan after he strangled Richard. Hes put on the Kingdom armor and appears ready for the war with Negan, but can his psyche handle it? We spoke to Lennie James to get his take on the matter, as well as to gather some intel on what to expect coming up, especially in that fighting scene we saw between Morgan and Jesus in the season 8 trailer.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Why dont we just start by talking about where Morgans head is as we move into season 8. Obviously, he was trying not to kill anyone, then he did, and now war is here, so how does he handle that?
LENNIE JAMES: Well, how he handles it is pretty much the story of season 8, really. We are going to war, and that is something which is unavoidable. Hes involved in a major internal battle about how hard or how firmly he holds onto his belief that all life is precious. And much more than that, hes resolved to either go back to being someone who doesnt kill or to go forward as someone who does.
I remember chatting with you last season, and you talking about how hes scared to go back to that killing place because he knows hes good at killing people and if he goes back to that place, is he able to stop himself? Is that kind of the thing were going to see him battling internally?
I think that one of the things, I really am enjoying being back on the show as a regular as opposed to popping in and popping out as I did before, which I also enjoyed because I really enjoyed the kind of effort and the challenge of reintroducing Morgan in his various different states to the audience. One of the things Ive really enjoyed in playing him kind of step by step is showing the audience the minutiae of the struggle, and how the getting from one version of himself to the other version of himself isnt done in a single bound.
So yes, I think that the things hes going to be battling with are much more complicated because before his journey was of a man who had kind of lost everything and had nothing. Now, he has made connections. He has made connections at the Kingdom. He has made connections with Carol. He has made connections with Alexandria. He still has his connections to Rick, and all of those things are going to complicate his journey and make the decisions that he makes harder.
Its interesting how you talk about the different connections hes made because I was going to ask you, does he consider himself an Alexandrian or a member of the Kingdom at this point? Or neither?
Thats a good question, and a really good example of it was my reticence to put on the armor of the Kingdom. There was a point in the story where it was going to come earlier, and I spoke to [showrunner Scott M. Gimple], and we moved it because I thought it was too early for Morgan to make a statement that I am this. If you put on the armor of the Kingdom, you are of the Kingdom, so the fact that in the end he doesnt put on that armor until the death of Benjamin, I thought was much more poignant and much more important. So its taken a long time to answer a question that I dont have an answer to, really.
The reason why I dont know is because I dont think Morgan knows. I dont think him putting on the armor makes him of the Kingdom and not of Alexandria. This journey in season 8 for Morgan of where he feels he belongs is one of the big questions that will be answered in this season.
He really hasnt had a true home in a long, long time.
Yeah, when you think about it, from the moment we first met Morgan a hundred episodes ago, he stayed behind when Rick left for Atlanta because thats where his wife was, so he and his son stayed there and made that place home. After that, home was Duane, and then he lost Duane. So this man has been kind of homeless for the entirety of our story, and having lost Duane, he went in search of Rick because Rick was the only person left on the planet that Morgan knew who knew him. So he went in search of that home, and that didnt quite work out, and he found himself the Kingdom. And it remains to be seen whether or not it works out at the Kingdom or if its going to work out someplace else.
We see in the trailer for season 8 a sparring session between Morgan and Jesus. What can you say about that and duking it out with Tom Payne there?
All I can say is it was a huge amount of fun to play around with Tom in that particular scene. I really cant say much about anything about even hinting at where that scene comes and what it is, what it foreshadows, or what its in preparation for, but yeah, thats pretty much all I can say except for its not going to be a moment thats going to be easily forgotten.
How would you say that season 8 is different from season 7?
The major difference is season 7 was the preparation for war, and season 8 is war, and thats the kind of major difference with all that comes along with it. In season 8, every scene seems to be played out against the backdrop of an ongoing battle or the moments between one battle and the next battle. Its a roller coaster. The storytelling is slightly different. Were not taking you by the hand and showing you every single step now. The audience is going to have to work a little harder as far as story is concerned because the nature of war is that you dont want your enemy to know what youre up to, and in certain circumstances, the audience are not going to find out what the plan is until the plan is in action.
The first three episodes, I dont think they take much of a breath. I mean, it just keeps going, and we settle down a little bit later, and its going to be brutal and there are going to be causalities. The battles arent always necessarily in the direction that is expected, and the consequences of those will be far-reaching.
Who's hyped for the premier
Film Music Reporter said:The full details of the first score album for the AMC hit series The Walking Dead have been revealed. The album features selections from the shows original music composed by Emmy Award winner Bear McCreary (10 Cloverfield Lane, Happy Death Day, Battlestar Galactica, Colossal, Outlander). The soundtrack will be released digitally and physically on October 20 by Lakeshore Records. Visit Amazon to pre-order the CD. A vinyl version is also in the works. The Walking Dead developed by Frank Darabont based on the comic book series by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore & Charlie Adlard will return for its eighth season on October 22. Visit the official show website for updates.
Heres the track list of the album:
1. Theme from the Walking Dead (0:49)
2. Ricks Despair (2:10)
3. Glenns Wheels (1:46)
4. Lord of the Vatos (3:22)
5. Bag of Guns (2:46)
6. Message to Morgan (3:09)
7. Herd on the Highway (2:40)
8. Sophia (3:09)
9. Coalescence (3:55)
10. Eulogy (2:39)
11. Carl (1:38)
12. Farm Invasion (8:49)
13. Beside the Dying Fire (2:58)
14. C-Section (5:33)
15. The Governor (2:31)
16. Bye, Baby Bunting (1:48)
17. A Return to Compassion (5:53)
18. The Badge (1:43)
19. Welcome to the Tombs (6:22)
20. Reconciliation (2:36)
21. Three Questions (2:31)
22. Negan (2:20)
23. The Day Will Come (2:57)
I am, but less so than usual considering how disappointing last season was.
This is me.