Fans were rocked by the news that The Walking Dead would be coming to an end after Season 11, but it turns out it wasn’t just the audience that was surprised by this development — it was the show’s creators and showrunner as well. Last September, AMC announced that Season 11 would be The Walking Dead's final season, announcing at the same time that a spinoff focused on fan-favorite characters Daryl (Norman Reedus) and Carol (Melissa McBride) would debut in 2023 to keep the TWD story going in a different direction. But in a new interview with Collider, The Walking Dead cast member Jeffrey Dean Morgan revealed that the flagship show’s conclusion was news to The Walking Dead chief content officer Scott M. Gimple and showrunner Angela Kang, suggesting the series was originally supposed to run into Season 12 and beyond. Collider’s own Christina Radish spoke to Morgan as part of the press day for his new film The Unholy, and during their interview the actor discussed being surprised by the news that The Walking Dead Season 11 would be the show’s last.
Image via AMC When AMC announced that Season 11 of The Walking Dead would be the end, the network also added eight additional episodes to the season order to expand the storytelling runway for Gimple and Kang, bringing Season 11 to 24 episodes in total. Still, it’s interesting to hear that the show’s conclusion wasn’t 100 percent on Gimple and Kang’s terms, and in a way, it sounds like The Walking Dead was essentially cancelled. At one point in time, the series was the most-watched show on television. But ratings began to decline around the time of Steven Yeun’s exit, and as the popularity of streaming grew, the numbers continued to dwindle — although at the same time, the way people watched the show evolved, and same-day ratings for a Sunday broadcast became less important. AMC has also already announced big franchise expansion plans, including feature films from Gimple that will continue Rick Grimes’ (Andrew Lincoln) story and additional spinoff shows. It just sounds like everyone involved assumed that while the franchise expanded, the flagship series would keep going strong. That said, there’s still a lot of ground left to cover. Morgan revealed that The Walking Dead Season 11 filming is going to take up an entire calendar year, and they’re only on Episode 3 after two months of production:
Image via AMC Morgan continued, noting that Season 11 feels bigger than previous seasons:
At the same time, while the story doesn’t feel like it’s heading down a final path just yet, Morgan said the experience of it all coming to an end still doesn’t quite feel real:
The Walking Dead Season 11 doesn’t yet have a firm premiere date, but AMC has confirmed it will start airing this summer. Look for more in our full interview with Morgan on Collider soon. Reporting by Christina Radish. KEEP READING: Andrew Lincoln Reveals Why He Didn't Want to Be a Movie Star in Between 'The Walking Dead' Seasons |