New 'The Walking Dead' Showrunner Making Big Female Character Promises

The Walking Dead will be giving its female characters their due time in the spotlight when Season Nine rolls around.

New showrunner Angela Kang, who steps in as former helmer Scott Gimple moves to a Chief Content Officer role, opened up about the upcoming season during a "The Kick-Ass Women of AMC" panel. Fittingly enough, she made strong promises about the zombie show's female characters.

"We're going to see some really great stories with the women on our show, particularly," Kang said. "And I think for people who are really invested in say Michonne, Maggie, Carol, there's such great material for them as well as, of course, Rick and Daryl, and those other characters that we love, but for people who are looking for that specifically they will really see some incredible work from our women."

Of course, Season Eight ended with Maggie appearing to form an alliance with Daryl which could tear them away from Rick Grimes. With Andrew Lincoln set to exit the show in the upcoming season, Maggie could rise into a leadership role during Lauren Cohan's remaining episodes. Danai Gurira and Melissa McBride, who play fan-favorite characters of Michonne and Carol, respectively, have also been deserving of development for some time.

However, there is one character Kang highlighted specifically.

"Yeah, we've got some really great moments and great stories for them," Kang said. "I think we're going to see Anne in a way that people will be very surprised by seeing a different aspect of her character." Pollyanna McIntosh's character who once went by Jadis remains a mystery but could have a key role in the show's future.

"We come in [to season nine] on some really fun stuff," Kang said. "I'm really focusing a lot on the core character relationships in the show that have kind of been long lasting as well as servicing all of our wonderful series' regulars."

Speaking of strong female character, Kang herself is proud to have earned the position she jumped into for The Walking Dead's ninth season after writing several episodes through the years.

"I'm so humbled by the opportunity to work on a show that's been such a juggernaut and that is so beloved by millions of fans around the world," Kang said. "It's not lost on me that for a lot of women who watch the show and watch the strong women characters on the show, and dress up as those characters, people are looking for role models."

"I've been asked on a panel before, 'When did you know you wanted to be a writer? Did you always know that you wanted to do this?' Honestly, when I was a kid, I didn't think this was a job that I could have. There was nobody like me," Kang said. "I didn't think there were women or Asian women running a show. That wasn't a thing. Now, there are so many women who are showrunners and that's exciting because it means that the next generation can look and go, 'Hey, of course this is a job I can have.'"

The Walking Dead will return for its ninth season in the fall. Fear the Walking Dead airs Sundays at 9 pm ET on AMC, returning for the second half of its fourth season on August 12. For complete coverage and insider info all year long, follow @BrandonDavisBD on Twitter.

(via Insider)