The Walking Dead fandom has experienced all the emotions throughout the franchise's 15-year stint. If you've watched the original series, you'll understand that, for the AMC show never shied away from making its viewers feel things. And the fact that we even get to talk about the franchise in the present tense almost three years after The Walking Dead's conclusion makes us quite emotional in and of itself. But that's the beauty of this undying franchise.
That said, the TWD Universe fans have been feeling a little more nervous recently. One of the franchise's spinoffs has been "final seasoned", meaning that an end is in sight for it. The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon will return for its fourth and final season next year before bowing out, leaving just Dead City to carry on the legacy of this iconic story (it was recently renewed for a third season). But, with even more of a shelf life than the other spinoffs, it likely won't be running for more than four seasons either. So, for the moment, the future is unclear for the TWD Universe - something that hasn't really been the case since 2022.
However, there have been a multitude of comments from creatives involved in the franchise that the TWD story is far from over. And with the tease of a new spinoff earlier this year from AMC's TWD boss himself, let's reflect on some recent comments that suggest more TWD will be on the way.
Scott Gimple's comments confirm a future for TWD Universe as another spinoff is in-the-works
With a major question mark over the immediate future of the TWD Universe, it's natural to question whether this might be the end for the franchise. However, that would involve overlooking comments from Chief Content Officer of The Walking Dead Universe Scott M. Gimple which actually offer up the promise of more from the beloved saga.
In a recent chat with Screen Rant during the Multicon LA Wildfire Benefit, the producer revealed that a new spinoff is in the works - one that will do something the franchise has never done before.
"There's one that we're working on that I'm very, very excited to see that we've never been before."
Although the TWD boss didn't offer up any explanation as to what this project could be about, it's possible that it might take place in a brand new location that the franchise has never visited before. The answer was in response to a question about the TWD Universe's international expansion, with the new spinoffs taking the characters to uncharted territory - the big one being Daryl Dixon, which has taken Daryl and Carol Peletier to France, London, and Spain. So it sounds like this potential new spinoff could take different characters to other major countries outside the US.
As awesome as Gimple's recent comments are, they aren't isolated either. He has spent the past few years teasing what's next for the franchise and it's always involved some kind of future beyond Daryl Dixon, Dead City, and The Ones Who Live.
While the focus of the TWD Universe at the moment has been these epic spinoffs focused on original Walking Dead characters, Gimple has said multiple times that there are conversations going on about the franchise's future beyond those. In fact, as far back as 2023 (before any of those newer shows even premiered), he revealed in an interview with Collider that, while they were focusing on launching the spinoffs and wrapping up Fear The Walking Dead at the time, they were also working on "getting the next phase ready" (while also teasing "other projects that have been on the burner, as well").
Granted, none of those "other projects" have materialized as of yet, but it's important to remember that Gimple said they were getting the next phase ready. The era of the TWD legacy spinoffs is seemingly winding down with Daryl Dixon's impending conclusion and The Ones Who Live's brief run. Perhaps that next phase will come when Dead City wraps up too? Remember, the TWD boss also told SFX Magazine that he sees potential for the saga to run for another 15 years.
And just in case you think plans might have changed, the creative's more recent explanation about the future of the TWD Universe offers some clarity on that as he revealed that they have experimented with some ideas over the years that just haven't panned out for one reason or another.
However, he did underline that point with the hope of seeing other characters explore new territories beyond the scope of what The Walking Dead offered up. He also implied that any ideas in that realm could involve bringing back more classic TWD characters:
"We want to see other characters throughout the world, and how they're faring."
While it will no doubt be sad to see Daryl Dixon (and eventually Dead City) come to an end, it's good to know that there will be more stories to tell beyond those shows. Heck, we know that the fans are longing for a major crossover spinoff that would reunite Daryl, Carol, Rick, Michonne, Maggie and Negan before the franchise wraps up for good, so maybe that one is on the horizon (it's clear that one star wants it to happen!). And let's not forget that AMC's official statement regarding Daryl Dixon's conclusion very much implied that we haven't seen the last of Daryl and Carol.
While Scott Gimple has kept a lot of TWD secrets to himself, he's been very upfront in his comments about the future of the franchise since the original Walking Dead series ended: There is still a lot more life left in the TWD Universe.