The Walking Dead Season 7 Preview

With a few savage swings of Lucille the screen went eerily dark and another season of The Walking Dead came to an end. The shocking and gut wrenching conclusion to last season is still fresh in the minds of fans of the show as well as those involved in the production of AMC’s hit show. With the Season 7 premiere just a week away there has been plenty of speculation as to who fell prey to Negan and Lucille’s brutal attack. While secrets from the set regarding who survived and who didn’t aren’t about to be revealed we have loads of sneak peeks, trailers, insider Q&A’s, a Season 7 synopsis and enough photos to keep you somewhat satiated until the premiere episode drops on Sunday, October 23 at 9 PM EDT on AMC.

Up until this point, our characters have lived through conflicts… Disease, hunger, scores of the undead, tragedy, betrayal, and unthinkable loss. Through this, they’ve become formidable. Powerful. Unstoppable.

To start Season Seven, that power is taken away. They had found safety and stability. They had created a home. They thought the world was theirs. They thought they knew the world. They were wrong.

The first half of Season Seven sees our group fractured, broken, bereaved, and picking up the pieces while living under the thumb of oppression. Negan will have successfully brought the survivors under his control, brutally convincing them to live under his rules with a deadly and horrific example of what happens if they don’t.

Other characters are unaware of what’s happened, but have become separated from the group either by incident or choice — they will learn that they can’t escape this new turn of their world, either. This half season is about these characters starting over.

The overall theme of the season is beginning again. The world isn’t what they thought it was. It’s bigger and it’s even more dangerous.

Was it difficult to write the Season 7 Premiere?

It was terrifying, and terrifying as usual, to write. It doesn’t matter if it’s episode 14, or episode one, or episode seven – we want to do right by the characters and do right by the story.

Was the group blind to the ways of the world outside the Alexandria Safe Zone?

Last season, the characters were starting to get a feel that this was a larger world. This was much more than they have seen, and they have seen a lot. By opening that door, and stepping in, they are seeing so many things that they didn’t imagine – positive and negative.

Is Daryl to blame with where we find the group on their knees?

Daryl tried to help. The fact that he was trying to save some people was out of benevolence. That showed the kind of distance that Daryl has traveled in his life. He could have been Merle, but he is his own man.

How will Negan continue to use his resources to hold onto that power, and will his methods continue to be grand and unconventional?

Negan has an incredible amount of power, both in his cult personality and his practical man power. He has legions and legions of people who identify themselves as him. He’s got a system that has worked very well by him and it fairly immediately neutralized Rick and his group, who are quite formidable. Negan knows people. He knows human nature. He knows himself. For a powerful and smart person to know human nature that well – that is very dangerous.

Why is Negan such an important character as this story moves forward?

Negan upends the entire story. We get to see the Kingdom this season.

Is it a fairy tale or a dangerous illusion?

I definitely don’t think the Kingdom is a fairy tale. People do need stories and Ezekiel has a good story, and he walks around with a tiger.

The Walking Dead Season 7 Preview Gallery

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Negan’s impact on the show will reverberate throughout this season and beyond. According to Gale Anne Hurd, Executive Producer for The Walking Dead, Negan’s presence means things can change in an instant.

How does this season compare to past seasons?

This season is a real game changer. Introducing Negan is something that fans of the comic book have really wanted to see on screen, and now they will. We have seen leaders of single communities before, but he is in control of a number of communities. It really is his rules and he won’t stop at anything to make sure that he gets his way. The level of retribution Negan is capable of we have never seen on this show before – I don’t think we’ve seen on television before.

What should fans fear most about Negan?

The fans should fear the most that Negan is capable of killing anyone. Anyone that you may love on the show in a split second could be gone.

Can the group survive and move forward from the encounter with Negan?

The show is about survival. The very ethos of this show is that even in the darkest hour there is going to be the dawn. You learn from your mistakes and you find a way to make it through until tomorrow. Once the sun comes up, you make it through until the next day. There is never going to be a point where over all as a group – maybe individuals might give up – but as a group, they live for each other, they support each other, and that group gives each one of them a reason to live.

What do you love most about The Walking Dead?

To me, what is great about The Walking Dead universe is that it is a character-driven world. A world of characters that we can identify with, characters that break our hearts. There is always something so fascinating, so compelling, and so heartbreaking in each one of their journeys.

The Walking Dead Season 7_Red Portraits

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As the time draws near and anticipation continues to grow for the Season 7 premiere, count series creator, Executive Producer and Writer, Robert Kirkman among those who think that The Walking Dead’s return will not disappoint.

Is the premiere worth the wait?

It is absolutely worth the wait. It’s a fantastic premiere to a fantastic season. I think everyone will be blown away. There are all kinds of great stuff coming this season.

What makes Negan different from other bad guys?

The character of Negan, especially how Jeffrey Dean Morgan portrays him, is so warm and engaging, while threatening and terrifying. You don’t want him to kill you, but you are engaged in the entire scenario and you don’t want him to stop talking. Because of that, his character is going to be very well-loved despite what he does.

The Walking Dead Season 7_B&W Portraits

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The Walking Dead returns this Sunday at 9 PM EDT on AMC.