Things Will Get “A Lot Worse” Before They Get Better In The Walking Dead Season 7, Says Greg Nicotero

Dark and difficult times lie ahead for our band of survivors in The Walking Dead season 7, with Greg Nicotero even going so far as to say that things will get “a lot worse” before they get better. So if you’re hoping for some respite once that cliffhanger has finally been resolved, think again.

Having served as executive producer and director on select episodes of AMC’s flesh-munching flagship since its inception, Nicotero is a veteran of all things Walking Dead, and if the creator really does believe that troubling times lie ahead, fans ought to heed his warning.

When quizzed by Deadline about the show’s return in October, here’s what Nicotero had to share:

I think it’s going to get a lot worse before it gets better for our group, and it’s pretty intense. I mean, the show, we’re sort of opening a new chapter. I mean, it’s really, Rick is now, if you really think about his journey in the comic books, he shares the spotlight with Negan in the comic book. Negan now has some ownership over what the show is about. It’s the anticipation and the excitement of new worlds that we’re going to, like the Hilltop, like the Kingdom, like the Sanctuary where Negan lives. Everybody’s putting so much of their heart and soul into it. You know, after directing the premiere episode, I was fucked up for two weeks, you know? I really felt like I dragged a lot of my dearest friends into these really deep, dark places shooting that episode, and it’s been definitely an experience unlike anything that I’ve ever handled before.

They’ve been through the wringer more times than anyone can count, but Rick Grimes and Co. will be back in little over two months’ time for another round of post-apocalyptic survival. Heralding Andrew Lincoln’s return in the lead role, season 7 also features Jeffrey Dean Morgan in “full-on villain mode,” Norman Reedus, Lauren Cohan, Steven Yeun, Danai Gurira, Chandler Riggs, Sonequa Martin-Green, Michael Cudlitz, Josh McDermitt, Ross Marquand, Christian Serratos and Khary Payton as Ezekiel.

The Walking Dead season 7 premieres on October 23 at 9 pm ET. Will you be tuning in?