Whatever AMC chose to label its upcoming spinoff of The Walking Dead, the series would still pull in a horde of viewers based on one simple fact: it’s related to The Walking Dead.
The zombie serial has without a doubt penetrated society. It overtakes social media platforms every Sunday night. It infiltrates our cultural referencing (“That sweater is totally something Carol would wear – in Alexandria, of course!”). It has become a beacon of hope in a TV age awash with predictable procedurals – and now we’re in for a look at the rest of that unexplored apocalyptic terrain in… Fear The Walking Dead.
IT’S OFFICIAL! The walking dead companion show on AMC is called FEAR THE WALKING DEAD! Expect more news very soon! #FearTheWalkingDead
— Robert Kirkman (@RobertKirkman) March 27, 2015
It’s about time the show truly addressed our emotional responses to the swathes of walkers constantly killing our favorite characters week in, week out. With a title like that there’s simply no escaping the irrefutable truth of a zombie apocalypse. You must fear those walkers. Or die from complacency by having your face/stomach/legs eaten simultaneously.
For the spinoff – which has been described as a sort-of prequel – AMC has enlisted a familiar group of names that ought to quash any doubts about its quality. Kirkman, who created the original comic and series, is back to write along with showrunner Dave Erickson. The duo will executive produce alongside Walking Dead‘s Gale Anne Hurd, Dave Alpert and VFX brass Greg Nicotero. In terms of the cast of characters up against the undead; Kim Dickens, Cliff Curtis, Frank Dillane and Alycia Debnam Carey have all been confirmed for the pilot which tested so well with the network, it bagged the show a two-season order.
The Walking Dead proper wraps up its fifth season this Sunday with a 90-minute extended finale. It’s expected that the first teaser trailer for Fear The Walking Dead will bow during the follow-on show The Talking Dead, which airs on AMC directly after TWD.
