Walking Dead Producer On The Hope of Ezekiel and The Kingdom

While Rick and the survivors at Alexandria have been going through hell at the hands of Negan and [...]

By Matthew Aguilar

While Rick and the survivors at Alexandria have been going through hell at the hands of Negan and his saviors, Carol and Morgan have been recovering from their long journey within the confines of The Kingdom, and fans will finally have a chance to see it in person on Sunday night's episode of The Walking Dead.

The Walking Dead executive producer Gale Anne Hurd recently spoke to ET about what's coming down the pike, including the sense of hope that a functioning society like the Kingdom can bring to this rather torturous existence.

"Obviously, people who read the comics know that [The Kingdom] is a high-functioning community. The other great thing about this season is being able to open up and see, not only the danger and brutality of Negan, but the fact that there are other communities that are functioning. That provide some hope in this dark world."

Every colony needs a leader, and ever since it was teased that The Kingdom was becoming part of the show, fans have been eager to see the on-screen persona that is King Ezekiel. According to Hurd, working with the character has been a blast so far.

"Ezekiel is great! We had some many people audition for that role and Khary Payton just did such a great job," she said. "Mostly we've seen pretty brutal groups. From that police group at Grady Memorial Hospital, to the claimers, and the people at The Sanctuary who were cannibals, but now we're got someone who's not crazy. And he's not a coward like Gregory either from Hilltop."

When Khary Payton auditioned for the role, it was under the name King Augustus, but after doing some digging he eventually realized that his audition piece was almost word for word from the comic.

King Ezekial will not only provide new hope for Ricks group but will also help bring some levity to the show, which after the brutality of the season premiere, it's safe to say fans could use some lighter moments.

Fans will be introduced to the Kingdom and King Ezekiel in this week's episode of The Walking Dead, which airs Sunday night on AMC.

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