I was really hoping the tentatively titled “Fear The Walking Dead” series would be a completely separate entity instead of living closely in the world of “The Walking Dead”. As “Fear” is a prequel spinoff, clearly it’s going to live in the same world as AMC’s smash hit zombie series. Still, I’m praying the quality and writing are different as I’m not s huge fan of “TWD” series (I adore the comic by Robert Kirkman).

EW has some new answers to questions we’ve been asking since day one. Appearing at panel titled “Creative Activism” at the South by Southwest conference in Austin on Saturday, writer-producer Robert Kirkman was asked how his new spin-off* series will creatively fit with the comics and his existing “Walking Dead” flaghship series.

“It’s not going to relate to the comics at all,” Kirkman said. “From the beginning of the show one thing we’ve heard is, ‘What’s going on over here or there.’ So the intent of the new show is to expand that world and show another corner of the United States and what’s happening there. The timeline is taking place a little bit earlier timeframe than the original show. Rick Grimes woke up from a coma and was like, ‘Oh, man, zombies, weird!’ We’re going to possibly see that unfold a little more in the other show. But I wouldn’t call it ‘prequel’ because the entirety of the show is not going take place before [‘The Walking Dead’]. It will eventually form a path running concurrently.”

That the two shows will eventually be unfolding at the same time is definitely interesting because it opens the door to the possibility to having characters cross over between the shows, adds the site. Kirkman hinted there might be narrative connective tissue between the two shows, but only cited elements that would play out in the mind of the viewer and emphisized the shows would stand on their own.

Here’s how he explained it: ”One thing that we’re doing with the new show that we’re trying with everything is it’s not derivative,” he said. “It’s standing on its own. You can watch it by itself and get your own experience. But if you are watching both shows there are things like, ‘Oh they discovered this, or they discovered that in a different way.’ There are a lot of things about The Walking Dead world these characters have to learn or figure out to get by. And there may be some things that are discovered in the companion show that haven’t been discovered in the other show yet. So there could be like a thing where, ‘Oh, they encountered a zombie in season 4 in The Walking Dead that could do this and now we know why that was.’ So we’re going to be doing things like that are going to be pretty cool, but for the most part [the two shows] should be able to stand alone.”

He ended with this shocker, which may or may not be a joke: “And then we’re going to cross it over for an Avengers movie and it will be great.”

Creating a massive “The Walking Dead” universe is an awesome idea, so long as creatively they’re separate. I don’t want to see rehash after rehash with the same crew. Instead, I would prefer the new series to be told from different perspectives (male/female, old/young), and various directors and writers.