We got The Walking Dead. Then came the spin-off series, Fear The Walking Dead. This April, we will get the third series, The Walking Dead: World Beyond, and the powers that be are currently working on the first of three spin-off films that will hit theaters and cover the story of what happened to Rick Grimes, our fearless leader who was wounded, then flown away in a helicopter by an organization we have yet to learn about.
This is pretty exciting for the fans who are still die hard for the series, like me, but when AMC President, Sarah Barnett, says she thinks “there are endless stories to be told in this universe,” it has me wondering if that’s truly the best for the franchise. In a recent interview with the LA Times, Barnett spoke openly about the success of the series:
The reason The Walking Dead became the phenomenon it did was not because it was a zombie show, but because it was a character show that happened to be about zombies.
I can’t argue with that. I’ve always told friends who said they didn’t like zombies and gore that the show really isn’t about that. It really is more about the living. But I’m still hesitant about them creating too much content around the same idea. But Barnett defends her stance, saying:
I had lunch today with Scott Gimple, who’s the chief creative officer of “The Walking Dead” universe. We’re plotting a lot more ambition for this, and for us, the high bar is, I think there are endless stories to be told in this universe. There is a huge, un-snobby, high-taste-threshold fandom for this show that tell us they want to hear more stories. What we won’t do is make a weak version of “The Walking Dead.” We won’t imitate that. What we will do is look at a number of different formats and a number of different creative forms with a number of new and existing writers.
And she even addresses the naysayers:
Obviously, the narrative that continues to be told is one of decline around “The Walking Dead” numbers, and that’s inevitable. It’s become a test case for fragmentation. Everything has declined. I come back to the fact that you’re never going to see audiences like the one we currently have for “The Walking Dead” in measurable television.
That’s true. And it is an insanely well-made series that tells a story that people want to hear. If they truly feel that they have more to give us, I’m willing to watch. I’m definitely a dedicated fan. I just hope they don’t jump the shark, and that they know when to go out while still on top.
What do you think? Do you think there is room for even more Walking Dead content? If you were going to choose a Walking Dead story to take place anywhere in the world, where would you choose??