The off-season doesn’t feel like it’s getting any shorter for fans of The Walking Dead. It’s now been three weeks since the Season 7 finale saw Rick’s group rally with the Hilltop and Kingdom at Alexandria for their first big victory over Negan and the Saviors.
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Heading into Season 8, not only are the fans ready for war but the characters residing in the zombie apocalypse are preparing for battle. When the AMC series returns, the popular All Out War storyline from Robert Kirkman’s Skybound/Image comics series will be realized in live action.
But, how much longer will it be until fans get their first glimpse inside the war ahead and catch a new episode of The Walking Dead?
San Diego Comic Con
San Diego Comic Con is the first stop for The Walking Dead Season 8. With production beginning on Tuesday, April 25, the AMC series will have filmed almost half of its new season by the time SDCC rolls around.
Over 6,000 fans will pack into the convention’s Hall H for the first peek at The Walking Dead‘s eighth season just moments before the trailer is released online for the millions of fans at home to watch.
This year, San Diego Comic Con is being held from July 20 through July 23. Historically, The Walking Dead holds its star-studded panel on the convention’s Friday afternoon. This means the first trailer for The Walking Dead Season 8 will arrive on July 21, 2017. Unlike last year’s trailer which had to maintain the mystery of Negan’s victim’s identity, the Season 8 trailer will feature each character from the show’s now vast roster.
October 2017
In recent seasons, The Walking Dead has debuted in mid to late October. In fact, each season has premiere on the second or third Sunday in October with the exceptions of Season 1 and Season 7.
Season 1 of The Walking Dead premiered on Halloween in 2010 and the most recent season debuted on October 23. Each season between those two premiere between October 11 and October 16.
Season 8 of The Walking Dead will likely premiere on either October 15, 2017, or October 22, 2017. A start later than either of those dates would take the show deeper into December, assuming it maintains a 16-episode base with two halves running in the fall and spring.
Writers’ Strike
The conversation regarding the writers’ strike remains unchanged, for the time being. With The Walking Dead set to being production in a couple of days, the first few days or episodes of production may not be effected but if the Writers Guild of America does not come to an agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, all productions will be halted.
The most recent writers’ strike ran for almost five months from November of 2007 through February of 2008.
If a writers’ strike goes into effect, The Walking Dead will inevitably be effected in some form but the crew behind the series have not commented on the subject.
More Walking Dead
On the bright side, the cast and crew have received their scripts for Season 8 and are excited to get back in action down in Georgia. For more details regarding The Walking Dead‘s premiere date or the looming writers’ strike, stay tuned to ComicBook.com/
MORE WALKING DEAD: TWD Actor Teases Epic Return From Season 1 / Five Comic Book Moments Coming In Season 8 / Did Eugene Betray The Group In Season 6? / FTWD Renewed For Season 4 / Three Actors Promoted To Series Regulars / TWD Showrunner Joins FTWD
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.
