How Much Of Ezekiel’s Tiger We Will See On The Walking Dead Revealed

Once we can get past the fact that Negan has arrived and cracked skulls in the The Walking Dead‘s Season 7 premiere, we have another reason to get excited for the AMC series.

They’re really bringing the tiger to live-action.

First revealed in The Walking Dead‘s Season 7 trailer at San Diego Comic con, Ezekiel’s trusty jungle cat Shiva will be brought to life by the third episode of the upcoming fall run. The tiger, however, is completely computerized – something the crew at the show tries to avoid in an effort to save time and money (see: Andrew Lincoln wanted Rick to lose a hand).

In the comics (spoiler ahead!), Shiva has only a 10-issue life. The tiger is introduced in issue #108 along with her master Ezekiel but goes down a hero in issue #118. The cat remained loyal to Ezekiel until the end and sacrificed herself rescuing him from a herd of zombies.

As for how much of Shiva we will see on The Walking Dead: “a lot” according to executive producer and visual effects master Greg Nicotero.

“You’re going to see a lot of tiger,” Nicotero said. “It’s pretty astounding. That’s all I’m going to say.”

Nicotero had the pleasure of not only working on the special effects which bring the tiger to life but also directing the episode which will introduce the big cat.

“Me being the magician that I am, it’s fun to be able to use the multiple tools of the trade to execute this particular character,” Nicotero said.

Ezekiel and Shiva were originally set to be introduced in Episode 3 of Season 7 but the titles and synopsis for the coming episodes have prompted speculation for episodes 2 & 3 being swapped. Many are expecting to see Carol and Morgan arrive at the Kingdom in the second episode of the season which is titled, “The Well,” with a synopsis reading, “For a number of familiar faces, a new, well-established community seems too good to be true.”

Not to mention, episode 7×02 will run for 76 minutes instead of the typically alotted 60 minutes.

The Sanctuary will not have any familiar faces and the Hilltop has already been introduced. The Kingdom, however, is a thriving bunch – aside from the constant oppression and threats from Negan’s group.

The Walking Dead airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on AMC. For complete coverage and insider info all season long, follow @BrandonDavisBD on Twitter.