Given that the last season of HBO’s Game of Thrones actually moved past George R.R. Martin’s source novels, some fans are worried that The Walking Dead might eventually do the same and catch up to Robert Kirkman’s acclaimed comic book series. Thankfully, there’s a big difference between the latest, massive book in the Song of Ice and Fire saga and an ongoing fortnightly comic, so we probably don’t have to worry about the show being forced to improvise any plot points for the time being.
Kirkman himself made that very clear when he assured a curious fan that the show isn’t anywhere close to catching up to the source material:
“It took us 6 seasons to get to [issue] 100, it won’t take us 6 years to get to 200 and that will take us to season … TWELVE. And we’ll still be ahead of the show at that point.”
Though still very successful, The Walking Dead has certainly experienced a fairly significant drop in ratings since its controversial season premiere a few months back, so it’s not even a guarantee that the show will make it to a twelfth season. Having said that, the gory adventures of Rick Grimes and friends still remain incredibly popular, and there’s no sign of the story winding down at any point in the foreseeable future. It may not make it to season 12, but fans can rest assured knowing that the show has at least a couple more years left.
The Walking Dead returns February 12th, 2017 on AMC.
