One of The Walking Dead's leading figures offered an update on future spin-off plans, but, unfortunately, a movie appears unlikely.
The Walking Dead ended its original TV run in November 2022, but in the absence of Season 12, the undead franchise splintered into numerous spin-offs, expanding the mythos across various locations.
The Walking Dead Has Big Plans for Future Spin-Offs
The Walking Dead's Chief Content Officer (CCO) Scott M. Gimple spoke exclusively with The Direct on the red carpet at Multicon and discussed the franchise's possible future of movies and more spin-offs.
First up, Gimple was asked whether more episodes of the Tales From The Walking Dead anthology series may be on the table. He revealed he is "desperate to do more," but there are no "imminent plans" right now:
Q: "What we haven't heard a lot about recently is 'Tales From The Walking Dead.' Is that something you guys are looking into maybe creating more stories for in the future or...?"
Gimple: "I'm desperate to do more of those. We don't have imminent plans to do it, but I'm constantly, constantly, constantly bringing it up. It's a more challenging show because of the variety, because you're starting at zero every episode. So that's one thing that's sort of slowing it down a little bit. But I always keep it in the mix as a possibility."
The undead series' CCO pointed out how they "can only put out so many" hours of content per year, even though "everybody wants to see more stories of it:"
"We can only put out so many 'Walking Dead' shows, 'Walking Dead' hours a year. But to me, I think that's a layup. I think everybody wants to see more stories of it and I think we totally just scratched the surface."
Furthermore, Gimple shared in the fans' feeling that he wants to "see more of the characters from the past." He pointed out how the anthology format offers a vehicle to that, and "it's a very easy show to come back:"
"And on top of that, I really want to see more of the characters from the past and I know the audience does too. Or things that were referred to in the past that we never saw. So, I'm determined to have it come back and and it's a very easy show to come back. There's no... you know, we didn't end on a cliffhanger. So I think it's a possibility."
Gimple also addressed The Walking Dead's potential theatrical future after plans for a movie trilogy starring Andrew Lincoln's Rick Grimes were abandoned.
AMC announced in 2018 that Lincoln would lead three movies after his exit from the flagship series, but those plans were scrapped by July 2022 in favor of The Ones Who Live limited series (via IndieWire).
When asked whether he still hopes to explore The Walking Dead through a movie, the CCO said it is "probably less likely." However, he did say they are "talking about" developing another "16-hour a year series" akin to The Walking Dead and Fear the Walking Dead, as recent spin-offs carried shorter episode counts:
Q: "Last 'Walking Dead' question for you. We talked a lot about hopes. The Rick and Michonne show used to be a movie, but it was shifted into a show. Do you still have hopes in the movie realm? Obviously, you can't say anything specific, but are you still hoping to explore that avenue eventually with the franchise?"
Gimple: "I mean, I would just say different formats... They're always in our minds and you know, is it a six-hour, is it a two-hour, is it a... my dream would be another 16-hour a year series. We're talking about that. Feature films... probably less likely. But different ways that we do the show, we have to do it and we will."
Every Walking Dead Series Confirmed & Reported to Release
In terms of what the future holds for The Walking Dead universe, next up will be Maggie and Negan's return in Dead City Season 2. The two fan favorites will be back on AMC on May 4 to begin another eight-episode run (via IGN).
After that, Daryl Dixon has also been renewed for Season 3 at AMC, which will feature more of the titular badass and his European journey with Carol. The show has no confirmed release date but is expected to return later in 2025 after Dead City, following the first teaser trailer's release in November.
Perhaps The Walking Dead's most popular spin-off yet was The Ones Who Live, which brought back Rick Grimes and Michonne. While that show was originally marketed as an original mini-series, there have been teases that Season 2 could happen—although nothing is official at this time.
Following The Ones Who Live, Rick and Michonne returned to their old home of Alexandria, where they may have already reunited with Ezekiel (the actor behind whom hopes to return to The Walking Dead soon). As these familiar faces edge closer back together, one has to wonder if a crossover might be on the horizon.
That said, there is plenty more that needs to happen to bring The Walking Dead's most iconic faces back together for another show, namely getting Carol and Daryl back to the United States after their time in Europe. Not to mention, even the characters firmly living in the U.S. are still scattered around.
During an interview with TVLine, Scott M. Gimple was asked if he hopes for a crossover between The Walking Dead spin-offs. In response, the undead boss confirmed he does have "dreams of merging this all together" and has "laid little breadcrumbs toward that," but doesn't know how or when it will connect:
"So when it comes to something like [an 'Avengers: Endgame'-style, all-series crossover event], yeah, I do have dreams of merging this all together, and I have laid little breadcrumbs toward that, but you never know exactly when and how [it will come together], because of a variety of reasons... I will just say that I’m building those pathways, but there could be all sorts of pivots along the way that change it. So I guess answer is yes…?"
So, there is a plan for an Avengers-esque crossover of The Walking Dead universe that ought to bring back many iconic faces. But after Gimple told The Direct that a movie is "probably less likely," fans should expect that crossover to happen in a limited or ongoing series, not on the big screen.
One also has to take interest in Gimple's promise that another "16-hour a-year series" is on the table for The Walking Dead. There is no telling if that would feature familiar faces and settings or open up a whole new corner of the world, but new content is always a plus.
Until then, there are new episodes of Daryl Dixon and Dead City to look forward to, and maybe Tales From The Walking Dead could make a comeback as well. AMC also has a six-part short-form offshoot called More Tales From The Walking Dead in the pipeline for AMC's Content Room platform (via ComicBook).
The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 2 will be the franchise's next outing and will premiere on AMC on May 4.
