Andrew Lincoln Teases A "Deeper, Darker" Season 7 Of The Walking Dead

In the event that you needed any reassurance of how brutal the coming episodes of The Walking Dead are going to be, Rick Grimes actor Andrew Lincoln has you covered.

The actor has been looking forward to the treacherous moments being realized in the Season 7 finale for a long time now.

"We are opening up in a way that we've not done before," Lincoln said. "And it truly is very brave, and is something that I looked forward to in the book. I've always thought this is really when it started to get really interesting. Because it's like, how are these different communities reinventing themselves? And what kind of society have they built? It's really, really cool. It feels deeper. It's darker."

That said, when you hit the bottom, things can only get better. Rick Grimes and the crew from Alexandria won't be pinned down forever.

"This is a very, very dark season but it's always darkest before the dawn," Lincoln said. "Hang in there, guys, because it's alive. It feels like there's a great shape at the moment that [showrunner Scott M. Gimple] is crossing for the show and it's very, very exciting. It began a few years ago and it's turned into much more expansive, courageous, and more adventurous storytelling, both time-wise and location-wise."

As for the locations and expansions Lincoln is referring to - we will be meeting a couple of new communities when the series makes its return. Not only will we take our first trip to Negan's Sanctuary but we will also come to know a new, friendly community called the Kingdom, lead by Khary Payton's Ezekiel and his noble jungle cat Shiva.

The Walking Dead returns for its seventh season on October 23 at 9 p.m. ET on AMC. For complete coverage and insider info all season long, follow @BrandonDavisBD on Twitter.

(via EW)