Walking Dead Showrunners Reach Out To Cast As The Show Ends

After 11 seasons, AMC's zombie-infested dramatic series The Walking Dead is coming to an end. Showrunner Angela Kang and chief content officer Scott M. Gimple reached out to the crew and cast to thank them for their hard work in a letter which ComicBook obtained.

"We're lucky to have an audience that has stuck by us over ten years of massive change in the world," Gimple and Kang wrote to the cast. "We hope to have been a point of stability in people’s lives--something they could count on every week (or as part of a late summer binge) to make them feel--happy, heartbroken, intrigued, scared, excited, inspired. Maybe a little grossed out. Maybe considering things about their own life. Maybe considering who they are. People will need those feelings again. And that stability again. And we can give that to them with this epic final season, the last chapter of a multi-year saga of people figuring out how to live in a broken world."

The rest of the letter continuously thanks them for all their hard work, and lets them know there's more work ahead for this zombie-infested universe and its numerous spin-offs. And with this sad announcement comes a new one, the network has another spin-off in the works starring two survivors from the main series that have been around since Season 1.

The Walking Dead will finish with Season 11. The final season will consist of 24 episodes, which will begin in late 2021, according to Variety. The new episodes will run through late 2022, so while the announcement of the show's end may come as quite a shock, there are still two more years and 30 total episodes before The Walking Dead concludes on AMC. Six additional episodes will be added to Season 10, which was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Those will debut in early 2021, while the delayed episode that was originally intended to end Season 10 earlier this year will air in October.

However, joining The Walking Dead universe is a new spin-off focusing on the characters Daryl and Carol. That show won't hit AMC until 2023, though. The series doesn't have a title yet, but it will see Norman Reedus and Melissa McBride reprise their roles from the main TWD series. Both Daryl and Carol are the only cast members who have been on the show since Season 1.

The new series is co-created by Angela Kang and Scott Gimple--who is also developing an anthology series with the working title of Tales of the Walking Dead. Previously, Kang has been a writer and producer on the main TWD series. She'll be the showrunner of the Carol and Daryl show. "I look forward to digging in with our brilliant writers, producers, directors, cast and crew to bring this epic final chapter of Robert Kirkman's story to life for our fans over the next two years," said Kang. "The Walking Dead flagship series has been my creative home for a decade and so it's bittersweet to bring it to an end, but I could not be more excited to be working with Scott Gimple and AMC to develop a new series for Daryl and Carol. Working with Norman Reedus and Melissa McBride has been a highlight of my career and I'm thrilled that we get to keep telling stories together."

This new show will join The World Beyond and Fear The Walking Dead. The World Beyond was delayed by the coronavirus, but it now has a premiere date of October 4. Additionally, Fear The Walking Dead will return for Season 6 on October 1. During Comic-Con@Home, we got to see the first trailer for the new season.