The Walking Dead creator escapes personal fear in season 7
By Adam Carlson
The Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman was scared when it came to a certain aspect of season 7, but the hit AMC show had him worried for no good reason.
Many people have fears. Some people test their fears every week that a new episode of The Walking Dead airs on AMC. Others shiver in fear when they see things like snakes or spiders. But even the franchise’s creator has some fears he has to tackle.
Robert Kirkman has put some of the most terrifying scenes on television into the world of The Walking Dead. Whether it is on the pages of the popular comic books or on his shows like The Walking Dead, Fear The Walking Dead, or Outcast, Kirkman has become the one of the leaders in modern horror.
Still, even Kirkman himself has fears. Testing himself, he included that fear in his popular comic book series. Now, he needed to face that fear as the popular AMC zombie survival drama television show will tackle this storyline in season 7.
Odds were that Robert Kirkman would never encounter a tiger outside of a zoo in his life, but the introduction of King Ezekiel and his pet Shiva had him terrified, as he said during the Comic Con panel for season 7. Thankfully for him, the tiger will be a mix of visual and practical effects…none of which involve a live tiger.
"“Gale pointed out that it’s not particularly humane to have a live tiger on set, and is also very dangerous for the actors. So I was like great, no real tiger, I can still come to set. That sounds awesome. Because I would not have gone to set if there had been a real tiger anywhere near set. So there’s no real tiger involved. It’s all magic.”"
With no living tiger in sight, the story can continue to be inspired by the popular comic book series and include the two characters while Kirkman watches on. The creator of the franchise says that the introduction of King Ezekiel and Shiva during season 7 should be something fans of AMC’s The Walking Dead should be getting excited about.
"“We’ll always be bringing characters from the comics. We were reaching that point where Ezekiel is in the storyline so it was just a natural progression. As we move through the storyline, we’ll be bringing some characters in episodes, some characters later and stuff like that but there will definitely be other characters that you can see this season and some surprises coming I think. Right now it’s all about Ezekiel and Shiva as far as new characters.”"
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It’s understandable to be afraid of a tiger. They are large, imposing creatures known for their ferocity and appetite. Thankfully, no tiger will be making a meal of Robert Kirkman on the set of The Walking Dead any time soon and the franchise can continue to go on like normal.