The notion of a second The Walking Dead spin-off is not new. In fact, ahead of the debut of Fear the Walking Dead back in 2015, Robert Kirkman joked, “I’m sure that, if it does well, we’ll do The Walking Dead: China eventually. And then The Walking Dead: SVU.” Obviously, that’s not going to happen, but the idea of a spin-off involving frozen zombies is not necessarily out of the question.
It seems, however, that the idea of a second spin-off — eight episodes after Fear transformed from a “companion” series to a legit spin-off — is beginning to take shape behind the scenes at AMC, according to statements made by The Walking Dead Universe’s Chief Content Editor, Scott Gimple, who responded thusly to to a question about the future of the series at San Diego Comic-Con. “We’re currently working on some things that answer that question, so I shouldn’t answer it.”
However, he added, “There’s a lot of stuff that’s cooking in the garage right now. We’re working on all sorts of things, and as the months go on, we’re going to have a lot more to say about it.”
Clearly, despite the fact that ratings for The Walking Dead are on the decline and flat-lining on Fear, Gimple has additional plans for the television franchise, and why not? Even at their lowest levels, both shows remain two of the most popular series on television, and as we’ve seen time and again, AMC has been able to use the popularity of The Walking Dead to launch new shows, including the season four reboot of Fear the Walking Dead, which saw ratings nearly double when the premiere aired after The Walking Dead season finale. Besides, as it is, the two series only capture 30 weeks of the television season, so there’s room for another spin-off.
But spin-offs are not the only thing on Gimple’s mind. Crossovers and the like remain future possibilities. “I wouldn’t expect it all the time, but things could happen,” he told Digital Spy.
“You never know who might pop up on Fear the Walking Dead, and that includes not only The Walking Dead [characters] but even potentially people from the past of Fear the Walking Dead. You never know.”
For past Fear characters, either scenario would be unwieldy, as that might mean characters located in either California (the first season) or Mexico (the second two seasons) find their way to Texas to rejoin the Fear cast or all the way across the country in Virginia to join The Walking Dead cast. If they are taking requests, however, I’d like to put one in for Tobias, who could be paired with Jerry on The Walking Dead.
As for spin-off ideas, my heart is still set on a limited series that revolves around The Commonwealth, which could bring the cast members of both Fear and The Walking Dead together in one series.
(Via Digital Spy)
