Just When You Thought The Walking Dead Was Over, Scott Gimple Teases a New Chapter

How exactly do you keep the dead, dead for good? If The Walking Dead universe has taught us anything, it’s that such a feat is nearly impossible. Interestingly, the franchise itself seems to be embracing that very idea in a literal sense. With no signs of slowing, The Walking Dead is aiming to outlive us all, with creator, Scott Gimple tirelessly driving the infinity train. Gimple is dead set on ensuring fans never run out of TWD content, earlier expressing his wish to have the zombie franchise run indefinitely. While that ambition might sound as daunting as taking on a horde of walkers, the creator has begun putting his money where his mouth is, recently revealing that an exciting new project is already in the works.

Gimple’s vision for expanding the TWD universe involves the introduction of other characters within new settings beyond the American border. The franchise has already tested the waters with Daryl Dixon, a spin-off that initially had fans apprehensive about the idea of taking the beloved character on a journey across the pond. However, once the show premiered, it quickly proved its potential, and with a third season now in production, its success may be shaping the franchise’s future. Looking ahead, Gimple envisions the TWD universe venturing into even more international territories beyond just Europe, into Asia and Africa. Recently, at the Multicon LA Wildfire Benefit, he fielded questions from the press about the franchise’s expansion, telling ScreenRant that plans are already in motion for an exciting, yet-to-be-titled spin-off:

“There’s one that we’re working on that I’m very, very excited to see that we’ve never been before. But I’d aIso love to see it in Tokyo, I would love to see it in Africa, and I would love to see it in Iceland. I know that’s a weird one, but we want to spam the globe because there’s stories all over the globe.”

More ‘The Walking Dead’ Characters Will Be Called Up To The Spotlight

Spin-offs often focus on characters who left the strongest impression on fans of the original — a strategy that The Walking Dead has expertly employed. While many of the franchise’s most beloved characters are already leading their own stories, Gimple intends to spotlight others who have yet to take center stage. Whether these characters possess the depth to captivate audiences remains to be seen, but that’s a challenge the writers will have to tackle. Gimple’s ambitions haven’t come without setbacks. He further revealed that several of his experiments couldn’t survive the developmental stages. Regardless, he holds strong convictions about his visions and is determined to bring new stories to life within the ever-expanding TWD universe:

“It’s so integral to Daryl Dixon’s story, but even beyond that, we want to go [more places]. We want to see other characters throughout the world, and how they’re faring. And we have had a lot of experiments to that. We’ve actually done really cool stories towards that, but they just haven’t come to fruition for this reason or that. But I will say that by doing them, I’ve essentially seen those shows in my brain, and I really like them.”

The current The Walking Dead spin-offs continue to thrive, boding well for fan anticipation for more. Dead City, focused on Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) and Maggie (Lauren Cohan) recently announced the release date for Season 2, set to follow their dangerous return to the Big Apple. Daryl Dixon, which reunites Daryl (Norman Reedus) and Carol (Melissa McBride),​ ​​​​is in production for Season 3 and will see the will-they-will-they-not couple’s European adventure lead to Spain. The Ones Who Live, the best-rated so far, recently wrapped up the love story between Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) and Michonne (Danai Gurira), leaving room for their potential involvement in other offshoots.

Stay tuned to Collider for future updates on The Walking Dead.