Ever since AMC and Robert Kirkman first conceived Fear The Walking Dead, fans have raised the million-dollar question: will it pluck characters from the network’s flagship series?
As the years rolled on, and FTWD began to establish itself as a competent companion series, it was really a matter of when AMC would bring its undead worlds together, rather than if. And we now have a definitive answer to that question, as Fear The Walking Dead season 4 will herald the re-introduction of Morgan Jones (Lennie James), the fan-favorite character who first appeared on TWD‘s pilot many moons ago.
Since then, he’s grown into a true series regular, though his time on The Walking Dead is fast coming to an end. That’s right, Carl Grimes isn’t the only one headed for the exit door, as season 8 will also signal the last hurrah for Morgan. But true to the saying of one door opens just as another closes, he’ll be making his way over to Fear The Walking Dead in time for its premiere in April, and series creator Robert Kirkman has outlined exactly what viewers can expect from the long-anticipated crossover event.
When we started Fear the Walking Dead, the original idea actually included some things that would eventually tie in with the other show. We wanted to give it a few seasons to find its sea legs, so to speak, and make sure that it stood on its own and provided its own experience. The goal was that eventually, once we had established that, we would find some kind of creative way to tie things in.
Lennie James joins fellow newcomers Maggie Grace, Jenna Elfman, and Garret Dillahunt on the FTWD roster, and Robert Kirkman is quietly confident that James’ Morgan is the perfect character to take the plunge and cross over into AMC’s sister series.
When Scott suggested moving Morgan over, it seemed like a really great idea and a really cool way to bring things in. I know the audience doesn’t really know exactly how that makes sense yet, or what’s actually coming of it. As the year progresses and you see exactly what it is, you’ll see that it’s going to be a really great story for Morgan that will give us a lot of cool insight into his character.
Change is afoot, then, and Kirkman warned viewers that season 4 will “shake things up” in a major way:
It’s going to be a lot of really great stuff for Lennie James to do. Lennie James’ presence with that established cast in Fear the Walking Dead is going to change everything for them, and give them so much more new stuff to play off of, and really change the story in an interesting way that I feel like is going to kick start that show, and really get the engines roaring on that one.
I don’t want to spoil anything story-wise, but we are changing things a great deal. It’s going to be a much different show that is not going to alienate any viewers that have been enjoying the show from season 1 to 3, but will give those people new things to love, and new characters to latch onto. It’s really going to shake things up.
Long after The Walking Dead stages its own mid-season premiere later this month, season 4 of Fear The Walking Dead will set the wheels in motion on Sunday, April 15th.
