The Walking Dead Won’t Catch Up To Comics Producers Say

Unlike Game of Thrones, which surpassed George R.R. Martin’s novels’ storylines with its most recent season, The Walking Dead television series won’t be getting ahead of the storyline in the comics.

Following Season 7, the TV-version of The Walking Dead is at a point from the comics which is equivalent to around issue #116. Just this week issue #167 was printed — meaning if the comics stopped printing, the series would require at least another four years to be caught up.

In a recent interview with THR, writer/creator Robert Kirkman, executive producer David Alpert and showrunner Scott Gimple ruled out the possibility of surpassing Kirkman’s comic book writing.

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“I don’t know if anyone sat down to do the math, but if the show is gaining on the comic book, it’s at a very slow pace,” Kirkman said. “We’re expanding storylines so every now and then we zip through the comic book, and then we slow down for a while and add a bunch of stuff that’s not in the comics. There’s not any danger of that happening in any way.”

“When we get to season 20, then I think we’ll be caught up,” Alpert added. “And at that point, we’ll have to have Robert really pick up the pace [with the comics].”

“If we say season 20 too often around Andrew Lincoln, he will murder us, and then you won’t have to worry about anything!” Kirkman joked back.

Scott Gimple is in the same camp. “With some plans we have for the future, I don’t think so,” the showrunner said. “I think it’s unlikely, but it depends where the book stops.”

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The Walking Dead will return for its eighth season in October of 2017. The first trailer will arrive at San Diego Comic Con in July. For complete coverage and insider info all off-season long, follow @BrandonDavisBD on Twitter.