‘The Walking Dead’ will be back for season 9 but there’s been a major shake up at the top of the long running series…
‘The Walking Dead’ is the zombie that won’t be put down.
On Saturday, AMC officially renewed ‘The Walking Dead’ for season 9 set to debut in the latter part of 2018 but the bigger news is the shake up at the top with a new show runner being named for the series.
Angela Kang, who has been with ‘The Walking Dead’ since 2011, has been promoted to show runner to take over for Scott M. Gimple, who was the third show runner in the series after Frank Darabont and Glen Mazzara both exited the series.
As it turns out, Gimple isn’t leaving but instead he’s also being promoted as chief content officer to oversee all things for ‘The Walking Dead’ including work on spinoff series ‘Fear the Walking Dead’ as well as content on other platforms such as online or video games.
“This is an enormously important day for the entire The Walking Dead television universe. We are proud to acknowledge Angela’s significant contribution to the series and to set a clear path forward for a ninth season under her direction. Further, with gratitude and admiration, we also recognize Scott’s broad impact on, and leadership of, the content that fuels our TWD universe. Together, we will dream bigger and more broadly than ever before,” AMC president Charlie Collier said in a statement.
“I know I speak for Angela, Scott and everyone at AMC when I say thanks most of all to the fans and the many talented people who have helped AMC play Dead.”
Gimple’s promotion comes on the heels of the shocking news that ‘Walking Dead’ creator Robert Kirkman had signed a first look deal with Amazon Studios for all of his future projects. Kirkman is still very much involved with ‘The Walking Dead’ and will remain in his same role as executive producer but keeping Gimple in place was a crucial piece of the puzzle.
Gimple will now oversee the entire ‘Walking Dead’ universe after already joining ‘Fear the Walking Dead’ as an executive producer last year. Gimple will be the person in charge of the direction of both shows as well as any future ‘Walking Dead’ projects that might sprint up in the future.
‘The Walking Dead’ has endured lower ratings in recent seasons but still remains the No. 1 rated series on television in the coveted 18-49 demographic.
“The Walking Dead is a special show which started in an entirely different era of TV, and continues, in this new era, to confidently take chances to tell compelling stories that excite audiences and make them deeply connect with its characters, adapting Robert Kirkman’s brilliant comic book,” Gimple said.
“As the show closes in on its 10th year, I’m honored to keep working with the talented, dedicated people behind and in front of the camera to make it all it can be, while expanding the world of The Walking Dead with new narratives like Fear the Walking Dead and a whole host of truly cool stories ahead. Angela is a big part of the heart and soul of The Walking Dead, and I’m thrilled to help facilitate her vision of the show’s next era.”
‘The Walking Dead’ season 8 is still ongoing with the second half of the season set to debut on Sunday night, Feb. 25 with eight more episodes closing out the season before production begins this summer on season 9.
