The Walking Dead EP Says The Final Season Will Be Very Brutal And Dark

The eleventh season of The Walking Dead is going to be one to remember. This will be the finale for the core show, concluding plot lines that have been developing ever since that first episode aired in October 2010. If all had gone to plan, we could’ve already gotten started on this in early 2021, but COVID-19 meant that the last outings of season 10 were delayed, which in turn pushed back the next run.

With a premiere date of August 22nd now confirmed, though, the hype machines are starting to warm up. A recent promo gave us a peek at season 11’s opening two-parter, which will reintroduce us to the Commonwealth teased in the last outing and shows Eleanor Matsuura (Yumiko), Paola Lazaro (Princess), and Khary Payton (Ezekiel) goofing around on set. There’s a hint that the action is being kicked up a notch, too, with Payton saying he feels like he’s in a cinematic production.

Now, we have another clue as to how it’s all going to go down. The Walking Dead‘s chief content officer Scott M. Gimple was pressed for details in a recent interview on how the story is wrapping up. He didn’t give specifics, but did promise that it’ll be “really brutal” and “very, very dark.” For those who’ve watched the entire show that won’t exactly be a surprise, though there’s still some light on the horizon, it seems.

“[It’s] not totally [dark and gloomy]. There’s some sunshine between the gloom, but the dark stuff gets very, very, very, very dark But it’s not unrelentingly dark. There’s some bright spots.

Without getting too into it, there’s a level of intensity to these episodes that’s both an intensity of threat intermingled with the intensity of emotions behind that, and various histories of the characters getting intermingled with that. There’s some really brutal stuff in it, and yet it directly affects some of our most beloved characters and ties into their histories in ways that we’ll see.”

But just because season 11 is an ending that doesn’t mean The Walking Dead is over. AMC has big plans for the brand as further runs of Fear the Walking Dead and The Walking Dead: World Beyond are locked in, and we’re getting a road trip show about Daryl and Carol and the anthology project Tales of the Walking Dead. There are also rumors of other series in development, including some kind of comedic outing, something with an LGBTQ focus, and a new TV show exploring a villainous character.

Before all that, though, The Walking Dead will go out with a bang when season 11 premieres on August 22nd. Strap in, folks, because it’ll be one hell of a ride.