By now, you probably know there’s a time jump coming to The Walking Dead (and if you don’t: there’s a time jump coming to The Walking Dead). It’s just one of the many imminent changes on AMC’s zombie series, including a neutered Negan and the possible exits of both Rick and Maggie, but the time jump is the biggest shakeup. Showrunner Angela Kang previously said that the writers are “playing with time” in season nine, so “we get to jump forward in the story… I’m really focusing a lot on the core character relationships in the show that have been long-lasting, as well as surfacing all kinds of all our series regulars.” But in a new interview with Entertainment Weekly, she expanded on what to expect.
“We’ll explore what happened as man made objects and structures break down,” said Kang. “Infrastructure like roads and bridges are changing and crumbling. And we’ll also explore what happens as resources are getting low.” She continued, “There’s a fun Western vibe that has emerged. We are going into a period where a lot of the things that we’ve seen in previous seasons have broken down, so they’ve got these horses and carriages that are being drawn around instead of cars. Things are lit with oil lamps. People are using different kinds of weaponry. There’s a real grittiness to it that I think will be fun and fresh for the viewers.” That would explain the Capitol Building (and Rick’s hair?)…
Kang also told TVLine that the time jump will be “big enough that the world has changed around our characters” (probably at least two years), and that after defeating Negan, Rick has “gotten to a place where the goal is no longer just to survive. Now he wants to build the future that Carl envisioned.” Speaking of Negan: he may look very different in season nine.
The beard is (mostly) gone! What do you think of @JDMorgan's new look? pic.twitter.com/69wURfQufV
— The Walking Dead (@TheWalkingDead) July 9, 2018
It was nice of Eugene (I assume) to give him a shave.
(Via Entertainment Weekly and TVLine)