The Walking Dead is an American zombie apocalypsemedia franchise centered on a number of television series based on the comic book of the same name.[1][2] Set in one fictional shared universe,[3] the franchise has developed into six live-action television series, with two additional series in development. The franchise also includes eight web series that tie into the first two television series. The series all air on AMC and AMC+.
In September 2013, it was announced that Robert Kirkman, creator of the original comic book, Hurd, and Dave Alpert would create a companion spin-off television series featuring a new set of characters. The show was entitled Fear the Walking Dead.[12][13] The series began as a prequel, but later shifted to run concurrently with the original series by adding Lennie James to the main cast of Fear the Walking Dead, reprising his role as Morgan Jones on The Walking Dead. James' appearance on Fear the Walking Dead was the first crossover within the franchise.[14] The second crossover occurred when Austin Amelio reprised his role as the reformed Savior Dwight in the show's fifth season.[15]
In November 2018, Gimple announced that a trilogy of The Walking Dead films--revolving around the character of Rick, with Lincoln reprising his role--were in development by AMC Original Films.[20] James expressed interest in joining the film,[21] and McIntosh had teased her character Jadis as being in the film.[22]
In September 2020, Gimple announced that an anthology series was in the works. The series was greenlit in October 2021 and was entitled Tales of the Walking Dead.[23]
In 2022, multiple spinoffs were announced. One such spinoff was The Walking Dead: Dead City, a spinoff focusing on Maggie Greene and Negan that was originally entitled Isle of the Dead;[24] Another was The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon. This show was originally intended to be a spin-off about the titular character and Carol Peletier, but it shifted focus to Daryl due to logistical reasons involving Melissa McBride, who portrays Carol.[25] Another spinoff announced in 2022 was The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live, which was originally intended to be a trilogy of films announced in 2019 but was reworked into a miniseries.[26]The Ones Who Live was originally entitled Rick & Michonne.[27][28] In a November 2022 interview with AMC, Gimple said that more spinoffs were still to come.[29]
The development of a series entitled More Tales from the Walking Dead Universe was announced in April 2023.[27]
Six television series make up The Walking Dead franchise: The Walking Dead, Fear the Walking Dead, World Beyond, Tales of the Walking Dead, Dead City, and Daryl Dixon. All series in total amount to 328 episodes across 24 seasons of television.
Sheriff's deputy Rick Grimes wakes up from a coma in a post-apocalyptic world where the undead, known as walkers, have taken over. Rick must fight for his survival to protect his family and friends. While the walkers are their number one threat, other humans create conflict. With the collapse of modern civilization, these survivors must confront other human survivors who have formed groups and communities with their own sets of laws and morals, sometimes leading to open, hostile conflict between them.
Fear the Walking Dead is a companion series to The Walking Dead, developed by AMC. AMC started development of the series around September 2013 and committed to a two-season broadcast by March 2015.[40][41][42]Fear the Walking Dead first premiered on August 23, 2015.[43] The series ended on November 19, 2023 after the conclusion of the eighth and final season.[44]
Fear the Walking Dead features a different set of characters, developed by Kirkman. The series starts at the onset of the zombie apocalypse, and follows several people that escape Los Angeles as the military attempts to quarantine the city, and seek refuge along the west coast of the United States and Mexico. The fourth season of Fear the Walking Dead features a crossover with The Walking Dead, specifically through the character Morgan Jones (played by Lennie James) who joins the cast of Fear the Walking Dead after the events of the eighth season of The Walking Dead.[45][46] Similarly, Dwight, played by Austin Amelio, joined Fear the Walking Dead for its fifth season in 2019.[47]
In April 2019, AMC officially announced it had ordered a 10-episode limited series created by Scott M. Gimple and Matthew Negrete. The series focuses on the first generation of children that have grown up during the zombie apocalypse who call themselves "Endlings",[48] and are aware of how to survive if confronted by them, but have otherwise been raised behind walls and have never actually experienced survival.[49] Production began in July 2019 in Richmond, Virginia, with Jordan Vogt-Roberts originally attached to direct the pilot before Magnus Martens took over on account of a new series direction as more season episodes were developed.[50][51] The series stars Aliyah Royale, Alexa Mansour, Annet Mahendru, Nicolas Cantu, Hal Cumpston, Nico Tortorella and Julia Ormond.[52] The series premiered on October 4, 2020, and ended on December 5, 2021, after two seasons.[53][54][55]
In October 2021, AMC officially greenlit a six-episode series which premiered on August 14, 2022 and ended on September 18, 2022. Channing Powell, who wrote for both The Walking Dead and Fear the Walking Dead, served as showrunner. It is an episodic anthology series that features new and existing characters within The Walking Dead universe.[56]
In March 2022, AMC officially greenlit Isle of the Dead, starring Cohan and Morgan as their characters Maggie and Negan respectively. They are also executive producing with Eli Jorné, who is serving as showrunner. The series is set in Manhattan. In August 2022, the series was retitled as The Walking Dead: Dead City.[57] The series premiered on June 18, 2023.[58] In July 2023, it was renewed for a second season.[59]
A spinoff series created by Angela Kang and Scott M. Gimple to star Reedus and McBride as their characters Daryl and Carol, respectively, was also announced in September 2020, with plans to air in 2023 after the conclusion of the eleventh season of the main show.[60] In April 2022, the project was retooled to be entirely Daryl-focused, and McBride departed the project. The series is set and to be filmed in Europe in mid-2022, which would make it logistically untenable for McBride.[61]David Zabel serves as showrunner, who replaces Kang.[62] In October 2022, the series' title was revealed to be Daryl Dixon.[63] The series premiered on September 10, 2023.[64] In July 2023, it was renewed for a second season.[59]
Following the departure of Andrew Lincoln (who portrayed the main character of Rick Grimes) during the ninth season of The Walking Dead, chief content officer Scott Gimple stated that three AMC original films would explore events related to Rick's character in the future. Lincoln was expected to star in the films, and the first of the films was expected to begin production in 2019. Besides Lincoln, Danai Gurira (Michonne) and Pollyanna McIntosh (Jadis / Anne) were also slated to star in the films. Gimple stated that the three films would not simply be extended episodes and would not attempt to adapt any of the comic books, but would heavily involve Kirkman in their development.[65][66][67] The films were slated to be released in theaters by Universal Pictures.[68]
At the 2022 San Diego Comic-Con, it was announced that the three films were being reworked into a six-episode miniseries starring Lincoln and Gurira. The series will conclude Rick and Michonne's storyline following the main series' conclusion.[69] The series takes place after the events of the fifth episode of the ninth season, "What Comes After" and the thirteenth episode of the tenth season "What We Become", and presents an "epic love story of two characters changed by a changed world".[36] The series was set to begin filming in January 2023. Gurira confirmed that she would be a writer on the series and would be credited as a co-creator alongside Gimple.[70] The six-episode series is set to premiere on February 25, 2024.[71]
More Tales from the Walking Dead Universe
The development of a series entitled More Tales from the Walking Dead Universe was announced in April 2023.[27]
Overkill's The Walking Dead: In August 2014, Starbreeze Studios announced that a The Walking Dead co-op first-person shooter is in development by Overkill Software.[179] The game is called Overkill's The Walking Dead, and it claims to deliver a "completely new co-op experience" to The Walking Dead universe that will explore new characters and storylines. It was scheduled to launch on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Microsoft Windows in 2018. The game is being made with The Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman, who says he was certain from the first day he saw the project that it was the "co-op action game fans have been waiting for." It is also the result of a new "long-term" partnership between Starbreeze and Kirkman's company Skybound Interactive.
The Walking Dead: All-Stars: A mobile idle survival role-playing video game available both on Android and iOS.[185] It was released globally on August 31, 2022.[185] It features a vast array of characters and skills, as well as idle battle and collection systems.[185] In this game, players must strategically recruit survivors and collect resources through a variety of story-driven modes and in-game events to build and evolve their own sanctuary while fighting against zombies to survive.[186]
The Walking Dead: Destinies: A third-person, narrative-driven action-adventure game in which your choices can reshape the story of seasons 1-4 of the hit TV show. You begin by playing as Rick Grimes and visit key locations from the show, such as the Greene farm, the prison, when you come to certain key choice moments that can determine who lives and who dies, with those choices potentially differing from how things played out on the show. Its in development by GameMill Entertainment for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and Nintendo Switch which was released on November 17, 2023.[187]
Chu, Wesley (October 1, 2019). Robert Kirkman's The Walking Dead: Typhoon.
Miscellaneous
McFarlane Toys manufactured action figures resembling the characters in the comic book for September 2011 release. In addition, action figures resembling characters from the TV series, including Rick Grimes, Daryl Dixon, and a dismemberable "walker", were set for release in November 2011.[189]
Taverncraft has produced The Walking Dead pint glasses and steins, and has a license to release lighters for the series as well.[190]
Titan Magazines has published The Walking Dead, The Official Magazine since October 2012.[191]
