Walking Dead Showrunner Promises "Breakneck" Season 8

Season 7 of The Walking Dead might not have hit the ratings highs of previous seasons, but it still remained one of the most popular shows on TV. Expectations are high for an action-packed eighth season later this year, and now showrunner Scott M. Gimple has revealed that it will have a different feel to the previous one.

In a new interview with Entertainment Weekly, Gimple confirmed that Season 8 would move at a much faster pace than the more character-driven Season 7, as the show's heroes prepare for war with the villainous Negan.

"The narrative has turned into one of pretty intense conflict," he said, "[And] it's going to affect the structure in ways that make it a bit more kinetic, a bit more breakneck--shifting away from entire stories in one episode, and sort of fractured over several episodes, with little pieces of each story coming together."

Gimple went on to explain that the decision to give Season 8 a different feel was made while Season 7 was in production.

"I remember talking about that with [co-executive producer] Angela Kang early on in Season 7," he said. "Because we knew the way that 7 was going to be structured, and we knew we wanted to mix it up in 8. We knew what 8 was going to be and how that would dictate a very different kind of structure. Things are going to move, and possibly not have the kind of deep dives into characters in single episodes, but rather laying out the pieces as we go on."

It was announced last week that three of Season 7's supporting actors have now been made series regulars, which may give a hint as to where the plot will develop. Pollyanna McIntosh (Scavenger leader Jadis), Steven Ogg (Negan's right-hand man Simon), and Katelyn Nacon (Enid) will all feature more heavily.

The Walking Dead Season 8 premieres on AMC in October.