Fear the Walking Dead’s Lennie James Confirms Production Shut Down Due to Coronavirus

Fear the Walking Dead star Lennie James confirms the sixth season of The Walking Dead companion series has halted filming due to the coronavirus pandemic. The spinoff, which launched production in November, was scheduled to take a one-week break from filming when AMC ordered a pause on filming for three weeks. That same order also pushed back physical production on The Walking Dead Season 11, with work on the mothership series continuing remotely. For Fear, again filming in Austin, Texas, James says production is “shut down for a month” and its crew and cast — including Alycia Debnam-Carey, Colman Domingo and Austin Amelio — are “self-isolating.”

“I’m filming in Austin. I’m here for seven months of the year and have been here for the past three years,” James said from Texas on Lorraine while promoting Save Me Too, the second season of James’ drama serial Save Me. “Almost all productions are shutting down. We were supposed to be on a break for a week this week, that week has turned into a month.”

“So we’re shut down for a month and self-isolating like almost everybody is, really. Different versions of it,” the Morgan Jones actor added. “Austin has had two confirmed cases and no deaths, so we’re in that situation. But we’re also in a situation where there are very few tests available for the population. So we’re in a slight area of unknown, along with everybody else, really.”

When audiences saw Morgan last in the Fear Season 5 finale, “End of the Line,” he was left gravely wounded when shot by Pioneers leader Virginia (Colby Minifie). Morgan sat helpless as he was approached by a pack of walkers, who were just inches away when the screen cut to black.

Virginia separated Morgan’s do-gooder band of survivors, making for a sixth season that is “more anthological,” according to executive producer and TWD chief content officer Scott Gimple.

“Structurally, the show is going to change quite a bit. There’s going to be a great deal more focus within the stories, a little less vignette-y in telling 16 little movies,” Gimple previously told Entertainment Weekly. “[Showrunners Andrew Chambliss and Ian Goldberg] are out of the gate wonderfully with the first two episodes, and it is a differentiating thing.”

“It’s something that separates that show from the other two shows [The Walking Dead and World Beyond], telling these 16 little movies, being a bit more anthological,” added Gimple. “It still is a serialized story, but it’s told through these very focused perspectives.”

Fear the Walking Dead Season 6 will premiere later this year on AMC. For all things TWD, follow the author @CameronBonomolo on Twitter.