‘The Walking Dead’ Announces New Novel Set in China
A new novel set in the world of The Walking Dead will follow the zombie apocalypse in China, [...]
A new novel set in the world of The Walking Dead will follow the zombie apocalypse in China, Skybound announced Friday.
Skybound Books will publish The Walking Dead: Typhoon, penned by Wesley Chu (Time Salvager, The Lives of Tao), to release sometime before 2020.
"The Walking Dead's first foray into China follows a group of survivors banding together against a wave of walkers in the most populous country in the world," reads its synopsis, which teases Chu bringing a "fresh perspective on societal decay and decomposing flesh" to the world of Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman's bestselling comic book series.
"Our goal at Skybound Books has been to give novelists the same creative platform and freedom to tell engaging genre stories that we already have in place across comics, film, television, and games," said The Walking Dead comic book editor Sean Mackiewicz.
"Plus, after 15 years, we're about to answer one of the biggest questions The Walking Dead fans have had since the beginning: what's happening to the rest of the world? That we can expand The Walking Dead universe with talented authors like Wesley Chu will allow walkers to truly become an even greater global phenomenon than ever before!"
Thomas Dunne Books previously released a series of Walking Dead novels centered around The Governor and the town of Woodbury, penned by Kirkman and New York Times bestselling author Jay Bonansinga.
The Walking Dead previously went international in The Alien, a one-shot comic book story from Brian K. Vaughan and Marcos Martin, centered around Rick Grimes' brother, Jeffrey Grimes, and his fatal encounter with the reanimated undead in Barcelona, Spain.
Kirkman, who serves as executive producer on the mothership television series that will soon be expanding with a trilogy of TV movies centered around Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) — with other additional films, specials, new series, and other digital content to follow out of The Walking Dead Universe — said previously the franchise going international is "something we've discussed from time to time."
"We have seen a bit of Mexico in [spinoff series] Fear the Walking Dead," Kirkman said during a Q&A in March, noting of his ongoing comic book, "I don't really plan to expand things in the comic side of things ever."
For live-action, however, "I wouldn't be surprised if we eventually do something internationally in the TV space," he said.