The future of the Walking Dead franchise has been in question recently. Although there have been constant question marks surrounding the TV saga's future since the conclusion of the mothership show back in 2022, there have always been TWD shows on the air to ensure that there was at least some gas left in the tank - whether that was the longest-running spinoff Fear The Walking Dead or the new sequel shows launched after The Walking Dead's series finale.
It was those new spinoffs that really showed us all how much life there was still left in the TWD Universe and it seemed to suggest that the story could carry on through them. However, three years later, one ended after just one season (subsequently revealing itself to be a miniseries), another has been confirmed to end after its fourth season next year, and although the final one was just renewed for a third season its concept likely won't allow for many more seasons either. So, where does the world of The Walking Dead go after this?
The franchise's boss has some answers. After just recently breaking his silence after Daryl Dixon's impending ending was announced, Chief Content Officer of The Walking Dead Universe put fans' fears about the future of the TWD story to bed, revealing the potential of more spinoffs and stories. Now, he's opening up about just how much that could entail and, well, it's everything fans have been hoping for.
Scott Gimple reveals surprising plans for the Walking Dead Universe
Walking Dead legend Scott Gimple has opened up about what's next for the TWD Universe in a brand new interview. Having recently revealed that there could be more international spinoffs on the horizon and effectively confirming that there will be a future for the franchise beyond Daryl Dixon and Dead City, he has now revealed just how extensive that future could be.
Speaking to GamesRadar, Gimple recalled how Robert Kirkman pitched the original Walking Dead comics series as "'the zombie movie that never ends" and added how he sees the TV adaptation in a similar way. He reveals that his focus has always been on revealing "what happens next?!" - a question that he feels audiences always have after a zombie movie ends. And it's something he wants to explore in the Walking Dead franchise in many, many ways.
"What if, at the end of every zombie movie, you were like, 'what happened next?!' We want to keep doing that. We want to keep telling the story... This is all one big story, all of these spin offs, and we want it to continue to evolve."
Needless to say, this will come as music to fans' ears, especially now given the concerns that they had about the future of the TWD story. Gimple's previous comments certainly suggested that there would be a future, but these ones go much deeper, highlighting what that future could actually look like. And speaking of what that could look like, Gimple also had this to say:
"We want to see our classic characters. We want new, big characters that people love. We want to tell stories in different ways. I think there's nothing but possibility when it comes to The Walking Dead."
"Nothing but possibility" from a franchise that is almost 15 years old is extremely promising. After all, The Walking Dead was one of the most successful US TV shows of all time and the franchise remains one of the most popular around the globe today, so it has nothing left to prove. It could realistically have ended with the original show in 2022 and it could do the same now with the conclusion of the three current spinoffs. And yet, TWD lives.
A future full of possibility, as well as both new and classic characters
The notion of having more spinoffs focused on new characters is an interesting idea. For a franchise that many consider to be relying on nostalgia by bringing back the fan-favorites for a spinoff each of their own, it would be fascinating to see the saga try to create new legendary characters 15 years in. It's doable for sure: Fear's Madison Clark is one of the best characters in the whole franchise and she has never appeared in one single episode of the original series. So, it would be great to see a separate TWD show focusing on new characters.
Furthermore, the idea of new shows centred on other classic TWD characters is exciting in and of itself. We know that fans have been asking for an Aaron and Gabriel spinoff and there were even rumors that this one might happen at some point down the line. Perhaps now could be the time to pull if off? Or maybe we get a crossover show in which Madison finally meets some of the Walking Dead characters she had never met before.
All that being said, there is one show that fans want to see in particular, and that is one last crossover season that would bring the characters from The Ones Who Live, Dead City, and Daryl Dixon together in order to wrap up the one arc that The Walking Dead never did. Rick Grimes and Michonne may have returned home in The Ones Who Live, but Daryl and Carol don't know that as they are currently in Spain. Maggie and Negan are trapped in New York City, so they don't know that either. Morgan was on his way home to Alexandria after stepping away from Fear The Walking Dead, so he doesn't know that either. They all still think Rick died, and that needs to change.
Taking all of that into account, Gimple's most recent comments are indeed the most promising yet. A future full of potential, featuring both legendary TWD characters and new, original characters we have never seen in the TWD franchise before sounds super exciting. It's exactly the kind of news that fans worried about the TWD story coming to an end needed to hear as it not only reinforces that there will be more to this ongoing saga, but that there could be lots of it. However, among those potential new chapters needs to be one final crossover between the original characters of The Walking Dead.