The Walking Dead Director Pitches Episode Following a Single Zombie

The Walking Dead director and producer Greg Nicotero pitches an installment with a "unique perspective": an episode following a single zombie from life, to death, to reanimation. While unlikely to play out in The Walking Dead proper — there are a total of 30 episodes remaining until the series finale — Nicotero's idea could come to life in Tales of the Walking Dead, the episodic anthology spinoff now in development from creator Scott Gimple. The Walking Dead brand's chief content officer has described Tales as a grab bag filled with surprises from week to week, and Nicotero has developed an idea that harks back to the show's second season — his first as director:

"It would be kind of interesting to have an episode where we actually follow a walker all the way from the beginning," Nicotero told Rotten Tomatoes about his wish-list episode. "Like the opening scene would be a person is killed, and they're on the ground dead, and then they come back as a walker, and we actually follow them through the world as they come into contact with different people. I just think it would be a unique perspective, to see an episode not necessarily shot from the point of view of the zombie, but kind of being with a walker as it's killed and then reanimated and then going into a herd."

Nicotero continued, "We kind of had a little bit of that in the beginning of season 2 when we started showing the beginning of the herd that overruns Hershel's farm, but I just think we could do something really fun and special with that."

When Gimple announced plans for various miniseries, short-form stories, and other stand-alone shows or specials set in the Walking Dead Universe, the series executive producer expressed interest in a project focused on a single survivor. This potential project is one of several in the works, which could unfold in the story-a-week format envisioned for Tales of the Walking Dead.

"One of my favorite projects, one that's sort of hovering around, is really about a person, a single person in the apocalypse," Gimple told Deadline in October 2019. "We don't really see anyone else there because of the situation they're in. Then you have a story that's like Cast Away or Omega Man, I suppose."

The new series, officially announced alongside a Daryl and Carol-centric Walking Dead spinoff in September, is also exploring episodes utilizing animation and music. Tales will feature new and existing characters, including episodes focused on dead fan-favorites like Abraham Ford (Michael Cudlitz) and Whisperer Beta (Ryan Hurst).

Follow the author @CameronBonomolo on Twitter for all things TWD. The Walking Dead returns with new episodes early 2021 on AMC.