‘Walking Dead’ Showrunner On Tonight’s Pseudo Finale, COVID-19, Season 11, & Going Urban In Stay-At-Home USA

SPOILER ALERT: This put up incorporates particulars of tonight’s The Strolling Useless penultimate episode of Season 10, which is the de facto finale for the following few minutes because of the coronavirus disaster.

“You bought a complete lot of household,” The Strolling Useless‘s Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus) tells the now parentless Judith Grimes (Cailey Fleming) in tonight’s penultimate episode of Season 10, that marks the top of the present run, for now.

With AMC having to hit the pause button on the newest season of the zombie apocalypse sequence as a result of fallout from the coronavirus pandemic, “The Tower” stands out as the final we all know of the TWD universe for some time. Nonetheless, coming off the departure of types of Danai Gurira and her beloved Michonne character just some weeks in the past and now the untimely finish of the season, TWD tonight wasn’t going out with out a few surprises.

Associated Story

[

COPYRIGHT_BP: Published on https://bingepost.com/walking-dead-showrunner-on-tonights-pseudo-finale-covid-19-season-11-going-urban-in-stay-at-home-usa/86666/ by - on 2020-04-06T02:08:47.000Z

AMC Networks Offers Free Programming Including ‘The Walking Dead’, ‘Liar’, ‘Baroness Von Sketch Show’ Amid Coronavirus Crisis

](https://deadline.com/2020/04/amc-networks-free-programming-the-walking-dead-liar-baroness-von-sketch-show-coronavirus-crisis-1202900213/)

[

As a trio of Survivors enterprise into an empty Pittsburgh that appears like a lot of the world’s large cities proper now, the Princess character from the Robert Kirkman-created comics made her distinctive debut, for higher and worse. Additionally, as Judith involves phrases with shedding each her father Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) and Michonne over the previous two seasons, script flipping as soon as villain Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) tries to discover a new function for himself with the daughter of Whisperers chief Alpha, who he killed in March 15’s “Stroll with Us” episode. After which there’s the little matter of Alpha’s murderous right-hand man Beta (Ryan Hurst) listening to his useless chief’s voice and stewarding a herd of ravenous walkers to our heroes hiding out in an deserted hospital — with the added “unusual” injection, to cite showrunner Angela Kang, that out of the blue the world of TWD appears eerily acquainted to our personal and its well being disaster.

Engaged on Season 11 remotely, Kang chatted with me in regards to the faster than anticipated finish to TWD‘s Season 10, why there shall be no episode 16 for some time, what’s coming subsequent yr and a few city tales.

DEADLINE: AMC introduced on March 24 that subsequent week’s correct season finale won’t be airing in the intervening time, the place are issues at now?

KANG: Clearly, we predict everyone did an incredible job on episode 15. Hopefully, it serves a satisfying interim pause to all of it, however you recognize, we have been working actually, actually exhausting on 16 and cranking away.

DEADLINE: So why aren’t we seeing the true finale subsequent week?

KANG: Time.

For giant episodes like that, to ship them, it’s mainly about two weeks earlier than air. It takes that lengthy to get the entire post-production results achieved and all the ultimate ending. So, we have been a few week and a half out by the point the California governor referred to as a shutdown to stuff due to the coronavirus. AMC had no actual alternative, it’s just like the sound stage transfer and the entire equipment from our distributors.

DEADLINE: Having deliberate and primarily executed a touchdown for the season, how does it really feel for you guys to hit the fact of this pandemic, so to talk?

KANG: You already know, our put up division actually was like, man, like, we want we may’ve achieved it, however how do you crunch all of that work in in a matter of 24 hours? It simply can’t be achieved. That was disappointing for everyone, however you recognize, we’re virtually at that end line. They’re attempting to complete what they’ll, after which as soon as issues are up and operating, we’ll end it out and air it, and I’m excited for folks to look at the episode when it’s lastly achieved.

DEADLINE: this episode, we lastly see the Princess character from the comics come to the display as Eugene (Josh McDermitt), Yumiko (Eleanor Matsuura) and Ezekiel (Khary Payton) get pulled into her isolation in Pittsburgh and issues, get explosive, actually. TWD is principally a rural present, however are you trying to extra city environments for subsequent season?

KANG: We’ll proceed to take a look at totally different points of this world, however yeah, I’d say that. What we’re engaged on in season 11, there shall be some extra city really feel and a few totally different sorts of feels that we’ve been concentrating on. So, it’ll be a combination.

DEADLINE: By way of a combination, we talked about this simply a few weeks in the past, when Dania Gurira had her exit episode, however that reference that Daryl makes to Judith about attempting to come up with Michonne on the radio makes it appear to be the character may return in some capability – is {that a} seed you might be planting?

KANG: I imply, I feel we’ve received to stay on the planet the place the characters stay. I feel they do have hope that possibly she will be able to come again once more, and clearly, for the sake of the universe, however that’s not likely my realm. The hope is that, you recognize, there’s some story for her there in a cinematic format, however you recognize, that door stays open if want be.

DEADLINE: As one major character leaves, one other arrives with Paola Lazaro because the nutty, purple haired and minefield strolling Princess in tonight’s episode. What was the technique in bringing this character to the present and what appears to be like like a tilt in the direction of the Commonwealth storyline from Kirkman’s comics?

KANG: Yeah, I feel for Princess, within the comedian books, you recognize, she is in a metropolis, and I feel that’s a part of the enjoyable of the group that went out and got here throughout this character within the books. We beloved that, you recognize, they have been type of going again out and seeing that town of Pittsburgh.

This can be a totally different metropolis than they’ve been in earlier than, however early within the present’s historical past, the cities have been all flooded with walkers as a result of that’s the place folks had evacuated to, and now we come throughout a metropolis that’s been comparatively emptied out…

](https://deadline.com/2020/04/amc-networks-free-programming-the-walking-dead-liar-baroness-von-sketch-show-coronavirus-crisis-1202900213/)

DEADLINE: I received to inform you, watching this episode this week when most of America, a lot of the world is shutdown to attempt to halt the unfold of the coronavirus, there are loads of comparisons and metaphors between Strolling Useless and the disaster we’re going by. Trying on the trio of survivors going right into a abandoned Pittsburgh, it actually did type of seem like Downtown LA proper now.

KANG: I do know. It’s so unusual.

I imply, for us that’ve been engaged on this present a very long time, it’s been fairly eerie seeing a few of these pictures the place we’re like, oh, wow, that truly does type of seem like scenes that we’ve shot within the present. In fact, we now have to artificially transfer folks out of streets to type of get these appears to be like on our present, and the streets are actually empty right now. It’s been actually unusual.

DEADLINE: How may it not be? On one other stage, it have to be unusual to have your season lower quick proper close to the top. But, additionally there was a distinct really feel right here this yr. Penultimate episodes of Strolling Useless seasons have typically seen enormous deaths or a minimum of the inference of them, exits or new threats emerge. “The Tower” was extra virtually of a …I don’t need to say a gradual burn, as a result of by the very finish, with Beta and the herd coming nearer, clearly, shit’s about to go down, however there was a really totally different tone right here.

KANG: Within the construction of this specific season that we’ve been engaged on and this half season, there was a lot battle halfway by the again run and this string of epic occasions. So. our intention was you do these battles, and then you definitely want a minute for everyone to determine their place once more.

But, there’s nonetheless all these items taking place. We’re assembly this new character of Princess.

Our folks, the Survivors very neatly, anticipated that the Whisperers would possibly discover the place they’re at, and they also’ve tried to type of get forward of that. It’s only a totally different construction. We’ve achieved seasons the place there’s loads of back-to-back battle, and for the storytelling, typically that works, and typically we simply need to pursue a distinct path. In order that was what we have been intending right here.

DEADLINE: This episode ends with the bloodthirsty Beta, the Whisperers and the walker herd closing in on the Survivors who’re holed up in that hospital, so what would have been the season finale was clearly going giant. On one other meta stage, while you took over with Season 9, one of many belongings you did was carry the primary of a number of time jumps to the present – this appears to a pivotal evolution of that tonight, no?

KANG: Properly, it’s been, like, 12 years of apocalypse I feel within the present, hasn’t it? So, the world is sure to look a little bit totally different at each flip.

I feel there’s this sense of them being on the highway doing this factor that isn’t immediately associated to the conflict, and but, the hope is that they discover new allies alongside the way in which. I feel that the extra our folks trek on the market, the extra they’ll see that the world has continued to vary round them, you recognize?

They’ve been on this little specific geographical space for some time. So, when you actually give it some thought, our folks know very, little or no about what’s out on the planet past simply their little circle, and in order that clearly simply turns into a part of the story going ahead.

DEADLINE: With Andrew Lincoln’s Rick Grimes gone and now Danai’s Michonne out of the speedy image, we received a way of the parental relationship constructing between the lone wolf-ish Daryl and the scared Judith, leaning in the direction of Season 11, the place is that tough and touching relationship going?

KANG: Norman himself is so fantastic with Cailey, and so we felt that for some time. When these two are on the display collectively, there’s simply one thing that’s actually particular about the way in which that they work together. As a testomony to Norman as an actor, it feels type of true to Darryl that, you recognize, he generally is a parental determine in his personal means with out actually changing precisely what Michonne or Rick was.

DEADLINE: However so typically on Strolling Useless these relationships backfire, as appears to be like to be the case to this point with Negan and the now useless Alpha’s daughter Lydia (Cassady McClincy) With the now delayed World Past spinoff specializing in a era that is aware of little however the zombie apocalypse, TWD additionally goes very Technology Z, it appears?

KANG: Properly, I’d say that’s been true for Daryl since Judith was born in Season 3. He understood the significance of the following era and the hope {that a} child can carry. Since then, he’s all the time had been this surrogate uncle type of determine, and now that each of her dad and mom should not round, I feel that he totally feels that cost of accountability.

So, in “The Tower,” he has his very personal vibe together with her, however we have been going for a scene that was just like the scene very early on within the run of the present the place Rick and Carl (Chandler Riggs) are collectively. Carl’s having a tough time with all of the deaths, and Rick has to inform him, at virtually the identical age as Judith now, that that is the way in which the world is. Not directly, Darryl’s message is extra hopeful, I feel.

DEADLINE: How?

KANG: It’s that at this level, you’ve gotten household, and we’re going to maintain you protected. You already know, he’s attempting to make her really feel higher and beloved.

DEADLINE: There’s clearly loads of baggage nonetheless, to place it mildly, however we’re additionally seeing a relationship develop between Daryl and Negan. Being that Norman and Jeffrey are so tight in actual life, however there isn’t even a Daryl character within the comics to attract from, how is that going to play out subsequent season?

KANG: I’ll say that we see a little bit extra of Negan and Darryl in episode 16, and it turns into a part of the story even past that.

However, as you stated, it’s a little bit sophisticated between them. You already know, I feel Darryl has his moments the place he’s nonetheless unsure, however he can’t deny Negan has undeniably achieved some good issues for the group, like infiltrating the Whisperers and killing Alpha. So, it’s one thing that we’ve actually been having fun with doing, placing collectively a few of these characters who have been on the alternative sides of the road from one another for therefore a few years, you’ll see.