The Walking Dead has to end sometime, right? While the show’s currently on season 10, Robert Kirkman’s recent decision to finish The Walking Dead comics will have seen eyes inevitably turn towards the TV series’ own final chapter. However, executive producer Denise Huth tells 12DOVE that, though there are no plans for The Walking Dead to end anytime soon, the characters’ comic book fates “opens up a lot of possibilities” for the show.
“I was surprised a little bit,” Huth said of the suddenness of the comic book ending, which Kirkman announced just a week before the final issue in July. “Robert has always said ‘The comic is gonna go forever’ and I knew it wouldn’t literally go forever. I was a little surprised that he did it without preamble, but that’s very Robert as well.”
Of the impact it’ll have on the show’s own future, Huth reasoned: “I loved how he wrapped it up and left those characters where they were, and I think it opens up a lot of possibilities for us.”
For those who haven’t read the final issue (spoilers for the Walking Dead comic), the series ends with a significant time jump decades into the future, with many finding peace in a world with a reduced walker population. Maggie is President of the Commonwealth, Michonne leads Alexandria, and several offspring of iconic characters live on in harmony. It’s a hopeful conclusion that the series may yet one day emulate.
Don’t expect it to happen just yet, though. Huth eases fears, saying: “I know a lot of fans are worried that with the comic book ending, that means we’re ending. I don’t think that’s necessarily the case. We have followed the blueprint but things are so different between the show and the comic now that, despite not having that set path to follow, I have no doubt that Angela [Kang, the showrunner] and the writers can continue to tell these characters’ stories for a long time to come, just based on the incredible foundation that Robert left us.”
Phew. For more of our coverage in the lead-up to The Walking Dead season 10 premiere, be sure to check out the first excerpt from our interview with Avi Nash (Siddiq) on Danai Gurira (Michonne) leaving the show.
The Walking Dead returns to the UK on Monday, October 7 at 9pm on FOX and in the US a day earlier on Sunday, October 6 on AMC.
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