PaleyFest LA 2017: The Walking Dead Prepping for Season 8 and Beyond
The Paley Center for Media’s 34th annual PaleyFest LA kicked off last night in the Dolby Theatre, and first up was fan favorite “The Walking Dead.” Per usual, there was a lot of chit-chat about nothing much – that crew is notoriously tight-lipped, but we did glean a few tidbits…
TVLine provided a pretty good recap of the event, and the only real teaser of what’s ahead came from showrunner Scott Gimple, who seemed to confirm we won’t be left with another cliffhanger at the end of the currently airing Season 7. “The end of this season is very much the end of a chapter,” he told the crowd. “It’s about setting up this gigantic, epic tale to come — not only in Season 8, but beyond.”
As for what he might mean by “beyond,” if Gimple is to be believed, we could only be at the midpoint of the entire saga. He pointed out that the Season 8 premiere will be the show’s 100th episode and teased it’ll be less about celebrating that milestone and “more about setting up the next hundred episodes.”
Given the longevity of the comics and where we are in that storyline, another 100 episodes is certainly doable, and I’m on board to continue the journey if they keep up the quality. But I digress…
As for what else came out of the show’s PaleyFest LA panel, Lauren Cohan said with regard to Maggie, whom we haven’t seen much of so far this season, her baby is what’s keeping her going. “What other reason would there be to experience such loss… than to have life inside you? You still have to survive. When you still have light to share, that’s just who you are. The more people she loses, the stronger the fire burns in her.”
And we can look for Father Gabriel (Seth Gilliam) to continue trying to atone for his past cowardice. Gilliam said of his character, “He didn’t live up to his ideal of himself and has to face that every day. He’s been able to go back and try to make up for it. He’s trying to prove that… he will be accountable for his actions. He’s not going to shrink from it.”
Be sure to hit up the link for a bit more, including how Andrew Lincoln would like to see Rick go out, and tune in tomorrow night for Episode 7.14, “The Other Side.” With just 3 episodes left, we should be seeing some action these next few weeks.
“The Walking Dead” Episode 7.14 – “The Other Side” (3/19/17)
The Saviors pay an unexpected visit to The Hilltop, catching everyone by surprise. This time they’re planning on taking more than just supplies.
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