1. It will take place in Los Angeles, and as a result, we may see a few “sexy” zombies.
2. It will begin during the time in which Rick is in a coma on The Walking Dead and focus on the initial outbreak of the zombie virus. It will basically show us what the world looked like as it was transforming into the horrifying apocalypse depicted in The Walking Dead.
3. It will NOT reveal the source of the outbreak.
4. It will have a “very different” vibe from The Walking Dead in tone and approach. It will also look different, as it will be filmed digitally instead of on film.
5. It will focus on an entirely new set of characters. Its core cast will include Kim Dickens as high-school teacher Madison; Cliff Curtis as guidance counselor Travis; Frank Dillane as Madison’s troubled son, Nick; and Alycia Debnam-Carey as her daughter, Alicia.
6. Ruben Bladese, Colman Domingo, Mercedes Mason, Lorenzo James Henrie and Shawn Hatosy will be among the other regular and recurring cast members.
7. The spinoff will draw inspiration from the Ebola outbreak and from bath salts.
8. The spinoff will not go “full zombie,” which is to say that it’s so early in the outbreak that the walkers will barely be decomposed.
9. In fact, the zombies will not be referred to as “walkers,” as they are in The Walking Dead.
10. The timelines between Fear the Walking Dead and The Walking Dead will overlap, and it will progress beyond the time of the initial outbreak.
11. Fear the Walking Dead will work as a standalone show, which is to say that you do NOT need to watch The Walking Dead to understand Fear the Walking Dead.
12. However, the mythology of Fear the Walking Dead will inform the mythology of The Walking Dead, so it will be helpful to watch the spinoff to better understand the original series.
13. The zombies will be crazier and more chaotic than in The Walking Dead because there are more of them, it’s set in a more densely populated Los Angeles, and they will be less decomposed and therefore stronger.
14. There will not be any walks in the woods on Fear the Walking Dead.
15. Fear the Walking Dead will premiere in August, and will likely run up until the sixth season of The Walking Dead.
16. The first season is only six episodes, but a second season has already been picked up by AMC.
17. Hulu has the exclusive rights to re-air episodes of Fear the Walking Dead.
18. Fear the Walking Dead may be a bad title, but according to Robert Kirkman, it could be worse: The Walking Dead: Los Angeles.
19. Here is the only video footage we have of the series, so far, and here is the first teaser.
20. Here is the bad-ass first poster.
(Via Entertainment Weekly and AdWeek)
