The current season, number nine, of the comic-book adaptation has just kicked off with big surprises (and some not so big) in store for fans of AMC’s The Walking Dead.
We should say that the tenth season has not officially been confirmed as of yet and the show’s dwindling ratings may not help its future. But Scott Gimple, showrunner from season four though eight – and now chief content officer for the franchise – reckons TWD still has 20 more seasons left in it.
Regardless, here’s what we know about The Walking Dead season 10 so far.
The Walking Dead season 10
The Walking Dead season 10 premiere date: when will it air?
If the next season follows the pattern of the previous nine, then the tenth outing will debut in October 2019.
Season nine’s opener aired earlier this month and paid tribute to one of its stars, Scott Wilson, who died just days before the premiere.
The first trailer for the latest season was unveiled to fans in July of this year at San Diego Comic-Con. It’s likely the production team will follow this route for the next season too.
The Walking Dead season 10 cast: who’s in it?
One thing is for sure at this early stage, Andrew Lincoln will most definitely not be.
The actor, who has played the role of Rick Grimes since the show’s beginning, has left the series due to family commitments. Rick will depart TWD in the fifth episode of the current season (November 4, 2018).
However, Lincoln does want to return to direct an episode in season ten. “I’m going back to shadow a director, and my intention is to direct next year,” he revealed last month.
With the current run bringing back key characters, like Sonequa Martin-Green as the late Sasha Williams, who knows who’ll be brought back for the 10th season?
And Norman Reedus (who plays Daryl) has already said that there are “some great deaths and some great things happening,” in season nine, meaning your faves may not be around next year.
The Walking Dead season 10 plot: what will happen?
Former showrunner Gimple has previously stated that the series is searching to explore more “original stuff” away from the comic-book source material.
Viewers will note that fan favourite Carol (Melissa McBride) was an original addition to The Walking Dead television series, so that can only be a good thing.
The departing Lincoln promised: “There’s something pretty in the original DNA of the show in that it is all about change. The show will live on and it will continue to be big.”
He added: “It’s exciting because there is a sense that there is a new vision for the show. I think [new showrunner] Angela [Kang] and everybody involved in it are performing out of their socks. To the finests of their ability, they’re putting it all out there.”
One thing that is coming soon from the comics is the first appearance of the Whisperers, a roving gang of killers who dress themselves in the skin of the dead and show absolutely no mercy in killing their prey. Perhaps they’ll be around for season 10 too?
