Glen Mazzara, outgoing showrunner of “The Walking Dead,” sat down with TV Guide for an in-depth chat leading up to the show’s mid-season return on Sunday, and we have a few highlights right here along with a brief video Q&A with the evil Governor himself, David Morrissey.
Be sure to check out the full article as it’s chock-full of juicy tidbits about the impending war between our group at the prison and the folks of Woodbury, Rick’s insanity, Andrea and Michonne’s chances at a reconciliation, what’s up with Tyreese, Daryl and Merle falling into old patterns, and lots more, including some candid comments from Mazzara about his exit from the series. Let’s not forget that he replaced the previous showrunner, Frank Darabont, and his successor for Season 4 has already been chosen – executive producer Scott Gimple – so a bit of behind-the-scenes drama is really nothing new here.
The veil is lifted from Andrea’s (Laurie Holden) eyes, and she realizes that she is uniquely positioned in the middle between these warring groups. That leads to a lot of exciting and surprising character developments… just some very interesting character choices… We are, of course, building to big, kickass finale, but The Governor acts quickly so I don’t think fans will have to wait too long before blood is spilled.
I want the odds stacked against our heroes. That’s the interesting story… Glenn (Steven Yeun) comes to the forefront but has a personal agenda… Maggie (Lauren Cohan) has her own thoughts… Hershel (Scott Wilson) has certainly stepped into the foreground too because he realizes Rick’s a good man, has been a great leader, but now is perhaps not up to the task of defending the group. Everyone right now has an agenda. And even Carl (Chandler Riggs) has a plan. Carol (Melissa McBride) has thoughts. This is not the group that was at the end of Season 2 that was huddled by the fire, pleading with Rick to save them. These people are battle-tested, and any one of them could take a shot at The Governor.
There’s an episode that’s coming up that deals with Rick trying to hold on to his sanity… It’s a very special episode. It’s very different, and it’s the curveball.
You just know when, or you can sense when, people are approaching the material from two different points of view, and that really was the case. There really were creative differences. We all thought it was best to just split amicably, and I’m very proud of the work, and I’ll let my work stand for itself. AMC will continue the show in the best way they see fit.
I’m happy with all of my cuts and the final product. It’s definitely the story that I wanted to tell, and I think it leads to a great satisfying conclusion, so I’m very happy with that. This is the exact story that I wanted to tell. I wouldn’t change a thing. I think this is a pretty exciting season. I think it’s pretty remarkable given how complicated the show is…
“The Walking Dead” Episode 3.09 – “The Suicide King” (airs 2/10/13) Rick (Andrew Lincoln) tries to rescue a member of his group. Woodbury is in disarray after a recent attack. New guests raise concerns at the prison. Written by Evan Reilly; directed by Lesli Linka Glatter.
