In a matter of days, AMC is set to bring back its most popular series to the delight of millions. On Sunday, The Walking Dead will return to TV to kick-off the second half of season seven, and the show will follow Rick Grimes as he preps for war. With his gang reunited, Rick will finally begin to push back against Negan as he rallies others to join his crusade. The downtrodden leader has been through plenty this season thanks to Negan and his Saviors. And, according to one executive producer, it’s about time Rick regained all he lost from the leather-clad baddie.
Recently, Gale Anne Hurd sat down for a Q&A about The Walking Dead and discussed where the series would be heading now. It was there that Hurd said Rick is the one who has changed most because of Negan, and the producer isn’t sure if the man can ever recuperate from the ordeal.
Videos by ComicBook.com
“I think it has to be Rick, who has undergone the greatest change because of Negan’s rule,” she said. “We get to see him brought low again — even lower than when he decided to become a farmer. That didn’t really last very long, and I think he was doing it to try to be an even better father to Carl, but now he realizes that his move against Negan was very ill-considered. He didn’t have all the information and he was overconfident. We get to see whether or not he can take back the mantle of leadership.”
Continuing, Hurd went on to explain how the rest of the team has been changed by Negan. And, of course, the producer nodded towards Daryl given his time spent as a POW to Negan.
“Everyone has been changed… Daryl, who feels an incredible responsibility for Glenn’s death, won’t give in to Negan and he won’t say, “I’m Negan.” Ultimately, he and Rick are reunited, which I think bodes very well for their future and not so well for Negan’s.”
With Rick and Daryl back together, it seems like Negan is the one who should be cowering these days. When The Walking Dead returns, the show will do so with a explosive entry, and the return is one that showrunner Scott Gimple is hyped for.
Speaking about the midseason premiere, Gimple said, “Angela Kang wrote it, Greg Nicotero directed it, the cast knocked it out of the park — pretty much literally, you’ll see — and the crew pulled it all together, and it was a hell of a lot to pull together.”
MORE WALKING DEAD:
Andrew Lincoln’s Epic Reaction To Season 7 Finale / Violent Takes Were Removed From Midseason Finale / Best Moments of 2016 / Negan Featured in #162 Preview / Who Will Be The Next Major Death?
The Walking Dead returns for the rest of its seventh season on February 12 at 9 p.m. ET on AMC. Fear the Walking Dead‘s third season does not yet have a premiere date but with The Walking Dead finale set for April 2, expectations for Fear‘s return are set for April 9. For complete coverage and insider info all season long, follow @BrandonDavisBD on Twitter.
