‘The Walking Dead’ Season 9 Premiere Gets Extended Run Time

The Walking Dead Season Nine premiere will air for nearly 90 minutes.

Set to air on October 7, Episode 9×01 will run from 9 p.m. ET through 10:26 p.m. ET before a new episode of Talking Dead begins. With the AMC show headed to New York Comic Con over the same weekend, it is possible the cast participate in a live event or premiere of sorts from the convention’s area, but AMC has not yet revealed any plans for a fan-event or premiere.

The Waking Dead Episode 9×01 does not yet have a title. It is directed by Greg Nicotero. On the heels of the All Out War story ending in the Season Eight finale, the AMC zombie show will see a massive time jump come to pass before it picks up with a new episode.

Of course, the new season is being plagued with major exits as both Andrew Lincoln and Lauren Cohan are primed for their potentially final episodes. Lincoln’s Rick Grimes has been with the series since its first episode. Cohan entered the series as Maggie Greene in Season Two, becoming Maggie Rhee further down the line and serving as the leader of the Hilltop community.

At the end of the most recent episode, Rick and Maggie were at odds over Rick’s decision to preserve Negan’s life after winning the war. The upcoming episodes will see the characters addressing their differences but, in the end, the survivors are a tightly knit family.

Another major change coming to The Walking Dead in its ninth season is a change of showrunner. The previous man in charge, Scott Gimple, shifted to a chief content officer role while the series’ longtime writer Angela Kang earned the title of showrunner.

Much of the Season Nine promo has focused on the show’s remaining original characters, a bunch which has been thinning at a scary rate. “Without a doubt,” there are vibes from the show’s first season, Lincoln says. “I think there were a lot of the pilot episode that was reminiscent of this opening episode and also a couple of other episodes, too. We have a few surprises as we both know but we’re not allowed to talk about.”

Fear the Walking Dead returns for the back half of its fourth season on August 12th at 9 pm ET on AMC. The Walking Dead returns for its ninth season on October 7, 2018. For more updates and insider info all year long, follow @BrandonDavisBD on Twitter!