‘The Walking Dead’s Norman Reedus Teases “Big Deaths” in Season 9

“Big deaths” are headed to The Walking Dead Season Nine, forewarns Daryl Dixon star Norman [...]

By Cameron Bonomolo

"Big deaths" are headed to The Walking Dead Season Nine, forewarns Daryl Dixon star Norman Reedus, who says the revamped season is "gonna be one of our best seasons of all-time."

"It feels very much like a western this year, the best parts of a western. In a good western, you'll see Clint Eastwood have to deal with something and then you see everything rest on Clint Eastwood's face. You get involved with the character on that western like you can get involved off of the characters on this show," Reedus told EW.

"We have that heavy impact weight upon us right now. There are some big deaths and some big things happening, and some super big things on the horizon as well, so it feels very much like the best parts of a western to me. I've always wanted this show to go in that direction, and it's definitely headed in that direction right now. And it's heavy. There's a very heavy weight in the air while we're filming."

Some of those on-the-way major deaths could be attributed to upcoming enemy group the Whisperers, who will be imported from creator Robert Kirkman's comic books. There, the infamous bad guys racked up a hefty bodycount — including prominent characters.

"With the announcement of the Whisperers in the future there's a lot of weight on our shoulders, and you feel it," Reedus said.

That group — who wear the flesh of skinned walkers as a means of camouflage — will soon disrupt the relatively peaceful world being carefully cultivated by Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln), with Alpha (Samantha Morton), Beta (Ryan Durst), and Lydia (Cassady McClincy) gearing up for their anticipated live-action debuts.

"It's big. Given the certain thing that happens in the comics where we don't get hit with one thing, we get hit with multiple things at once. And everybody knows that's coming, and everybody can feel that coming. And that actress [Morton] is such a good actress, and we're so excited to have her on the show," Reedus said.

"And I can't wait to do scenes with her, but she's bringing a heavy army behind her. We're excited to work with her. It's a lot to live up to, and everyone's excited for the challenge. So the stories this year are great, the scripts this year are better than they've ever been. And we're excited to see it through, and we're having a good time doing it."

Other milestone moments to come this front half-season include the oft-discussed departures of longtime series veterans Andrew Lincoln and Lauren Cohan, whose Rick Grimes and Lauren Cohan are expected to make their exit in episodes 905 and 906, respectively.

Despite the volatile world of The Walking Dead where an exit usually comes in the form of a death, both actors have hinted at future returns down the line — either in Season Ten or beyond.

"My relationship with this part is far from over," Lincoln told ComicBook.com, cryptically advising to "watch this season."

For Cohan, the actress has been open about her Walking Dead exit being a temporary one: her story is left "open-ended," Cohan said, and showrunner Angela Kang told Comic Book future stories are being planned for the widowed Hilltop leader.

Whichever deaths are on the way, Reedus doesn't expect Daryl to be among them: the star intends to "bookend" his long journey on the series and stick with the show until the end.

A refreshed The Walking Dead returns with an extended season premiere Sunday at 9/8c on AMC.

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