‘The Walking Dead’ Season 8 Premiere Might Contain All Sorts Of Time Jumps

The Walking Dead is planning to go big with its 100th episode but might contain a few timeline surprises even the biggest fans aren’t expecting.

While the “Old Man Rick” sequence promises to arrive in the Greg Nicotero-directed Episode 8×01 (which was recently revealed to be titled “Mercy”), this might not be the only time-jumping the episode features. While visiting the set of the AMC series, ComicBook.com heard from executive producer Gale Anne Hurd regarding just how big the Season 8 premiere will be.

“It is the most ambitious episode we have ever done,” Hurd said. “There will be elements shot during succeeding episodes. It’s that big.”

The Walking Dead took an extra day to shoot the premiere, having a 9-day production schedule rather than a standard episode’s 8-day plan, but Hurd’s statement indicates scenes will also have been pulled from future productions.

“Yes, this episode will be continuing to be on [Nicotero’s] plate for a while,” Hurd said.

Nicotero made a similar tease while talking about Episode 100 and Season 8, promising a faster pace than ever before, but a new style of storytelling which frequently jumps around. “Our story arcs that tend to play out over multiple episodes and sometimes we disappear and find people,” Nicotero said.

Cast Weigh In

Aaron actor Ross Marquand caught with ComicBook.com for an interview which will premiere on Thursday’s live episode of ComicBook Now at 7 pm ET on Facebook. During the chat, Marquand shared his reaction to seeing Andrew Lincoln in the “Old Man Rick” get up, but also revealed a few details about the unique storytelling devices being used in the upcoming episode and those which follow.

“They play with the story telling of how we maneuver around time and everything,” Marquand said. “It’s told in a very interesting, narrative way. It’s a massive departure from how we’ve been telling the story for the last few seasons and it’s a really creative fun way of telling.”

Fans will quickly recall the Season 6 finale which saw Rick Grimes and company leading a herd of walkers away from Alexandria with “THEN” and “NOW” being separated by simple titles but also contrasted with moments from the past being featured in black and white. Whether or not the Season 8 premiere will attempt something similar is to be seen!

Still, the Season 6 premiere did not feature scenes teasing events of the future, rather recapping the past which happened between the seasons. 

The Walking Dead

For more from ComicBook.com’s visit to the set of The Walking Dead, don’t miss ComicBook NOW this week. Exclusive interviews and bonus content will premiere on Thursday at 7 pm ET, exclusively on ComicBook NOW’s official Facebook Page. 

The Walking Dead‘s sibling series Fear the Walking Dead airs Sunday nights at 9 pm ET on AMC. The Walking Dead will return for its eighth season on October 22, 2017. The Season 8 premiere will mark 100 episodes overall for the popular AMC series. For complete coverage and insider info all season long, follow @BrandonDavisBD on Twitter.