Believe it or not, Robert Kirkman is already thinking about the end of The Walking Dead. Somewhere an AMC executive just shuddered.
Kirkman, who is also the co-creator and writer of the comic book series the show is based on, said he's been thinking about the end for a while, which is fitting. The comic book is nearing 150 issues and Kirkman previously said he has the comic ending down and plans to go to a staggering 300 issues. So how does he want the show to end? Not with a bang, but with some hope.
"I hope The Walking Dead goes on long enough that at the end, everyone is like, ‘Good thing we took care of those zombies,'" Kirkman said on Marc Maron's WTF Podcast.
"People talk about how The Walking Dead is bleak, and if you take a certain cross-section of the story, then yeah. Horrible. People have their loved ones eaten and they have a horrible time," he said. "But I see the story from beginning to end, over many, many years about humanity overcoming this insurmountable apocalyptic situation."
Plans for The Walking Dead to continue for many years have been talked about for some time. In June 2014, executive producer David Alpert revealed they've got a map through season 12. "I happen to love working from source material, specifically because we have a pretty good idea of what season 10 is gonna be," Alpert said at a Producers Guild of America panel, according to IndieWire. "We know where season 11 and 12...we have benchmarks and milestones for those seasons if we're lucky enough to get there."
While chatting with Maron, Kirkman joked about the future of the show. "Let's all be honest. Season 16? I'm not even going to be watching this show. I'll be on a boat," he said.
If you can't wait for The Walking Dead's season 6 premiere on Sunday, Oct. 11, be sure to check out the intense trailer shown at Comic-Con. That not enough? These new walker pictures are sure to gross you out. Want even more? That's greedy, but fine. Fear The Walking Dead, the sister series set before the events of The Walking Dead premieres Sunday, Aug. 23. The trailer for that came out at Comic-Con and looks pretty dope.
New additions for The Walking Dead season six include Grace and Frankie's Ethan Embry and Nurse Jackie star Merritt Wever.
The Walking Dead returns on Sunday, Oct. 11 at 9 p.m. on AMC.