The teaser below brings back an apocalypse-battered Daryl (Norman Reedus) and Carol (Melissa McBride) in Spain, ahead of the final season’s arrival in 2027.

In the final season, while crossing the ravaged badlands of Spain, “Daryl and Carol grasp onto hope – and each other – as uncertainty about their future grows. Smits plays “Captain Alejandro Perkins,” a former U.S. Navy officer and medical doctor who found a unique way to thrive during the apocalypse. ” 

Emmy® and Golden Globe® Award-winner Jimmy Smits (NYPD Blue, The West Wing) joins the final season.

“The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon” also stars Romain Levi, Eduardo Noriega, Óscar Jaenada, Candela Saitta and Hugo Arbués and is executive produced by showrunner David Zabel, Scott M. Gimple, Reedus, McBride, Greg Nicotero, Brian Bockrath, Angela Kang, Jason Richman, Dan Percival and Steve Squillante. 

“Across two extraordinary series spanning almost two decades, Norman and Melissa have given life to two of the most iconic characters in the history of television. Daryl and Carol have taken fans on an unforgettable and intensely human journey of challenge, survival, hope and friendship, and the response from fans, from the very first moments of The Walking Dead, has been remarkable,” said AMC’s Dan McDermott. “We can’t wait to share the upcoming third season of Daryl this fall and to begin production on this fourth and final season in Spain.”

In Season 3, Norman Reedus and Melissa McBride returned as Daryl and Carol as they continued their journey home to the ones they love. As they struggle to find their way back, the path takes them farther astray, leading them through distant lands with ever-changing and unfamiliar conditions as they witness the various effects of the Walker apocalypse.

AMC+ has also released first look images along with the teaser below.

The post ‘The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon’ Final Season Gets First Look Teaser and Images appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Expect the final season of “The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon” on AMC in 2027.

Norman Reedus stars as the fan favorite character from “The Walking Dead” main series, with Melissa McBride starring alongside Reedus in both Season 3 and soon Season 4.

“Daryl Dixon has been an incredible journey. I thank each and every fan who has joined us on this ride,” Norman Reedus said in a recent statement. “It’s been a privilege to build this story for these characters, and we have so much gratitude for how it’s been embraced. Your love and support have made every moment worth it.”

In Season 3, Norman Reedus and Melissa McBride returned as Daryl and Carol as they continued their journey home to the ones they love. As they struggle to find their way back, the path takes them farther astray, leading them through distant lands with ever-changing and unfamiliar conditions as they witness the various effects of the Walker apocalypse.

“The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon” Season 3 premiered September 7, 2025 on AMC and AMC+.

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Variety reports that AMC and Netflix have inked a massive $500 million deal that will allow Netflix and AMC+ to share the streaming rights for the universe of “The Walking Dead.”

The five-year licensing deal kicks off in 2027.

Variety details, “The co-exclusive global licensing pact covers the original The Walking Dead, as well as all six of its spinoffs, including Fear the Walking Dead, The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, The Walking Dead: Dead City, The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live, The Walking Dead: World Beyond and Tales of The Walking Dead.”

How many episodes is that in total? A whopping 371 episodes!

“Netflix has held the exclusive U.S. streaming rights for The Walking Dead since 2011,” Variety notes in their report. “The new deal will allow AMC+ to stream the main series for the first time ever, and extend the show’s availability on Netflix the U.K., Italy, Australia and New Zealand, among other territories.”

“Audiences have discovered and loved The Walking Dead on Netflix for nearly 15 years and the show continues to attract new fans,” said Lori Conkling, Vice President of Licensing at Netflix. “We’re excited to partner with AMC Global Media to continue to expand that access to more audiences around the world and bring the entirety of The Walking Dead Universe to Netflix.”

“We are thrilled to expand our long-time partnership with Netflix around The Walking Dead,” said Kristin Dolan, CEO of AMC Global Media. “This deal creates a global destination for this universe – all shows, all episodes – making the franchise more accessible than ever to fans around the world. In addition, the co-exclusive agreement allows us to bring the original series to AMC+ for the first time early next year. Netflix has been an important partner in making The Walking Dead one of the most successful franchises in the history of entertainment. This agreement is a fantastic result for our companies, for the fans and for this timeless IP.”

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“The Walking Dead is a proven IP with a passionate global fanbase and the perfect narrative fit for roguelite mechanics where survival defines the experience,” said Mike DeLaet, President of Ares Interactive. “With The Walking Dead: Aftermath, we’ve combined intense combat, meaningful progression, and base-camp strategy into a loop where every decision carries weight. We’ve applied decades of experience operating hit free-to-play titles to ensure the experience is both rewarding and sustainable for the long term. This is exactly the kind of franchise partnership we build at Ares Interactive, and we can’t wait to see how the players navigate this world.”

“A core pillar of The Walking Dead story is that of people learning to adapt and thrive in ever-more-extreme circumstances, and our partners at Ares Interactive have created a game that perfectly captures that feeling,” said Clayton Neuman, Head of Games & Franchise at AMC Global Media. “The Walking Dead: Aftermath allows players to enter a world where the stakes continuously mount with every choice made. Fast-paced, action-packed, and just the right amount of chaos – the end of the world has never been quite so much fun.”

Players will step into the shoes of iconic survivors from The Walking Dead Universe, including Rick Grimes, Daryl Dixon, and Michonne, as they fight to survive against relentless walker herds, hostile enemies, and powerful bosses. Aftermath combines “high-intensity” roguelite action with survivor strategy and base-building meta-progression, challenging players to adapt, scavenge, and fight to stay alive.

The journey spans increasingly harrowing campaign chapters set across the franchise’s most iconic locations, from the deceptive peace of Hershel’s Farm and the fortified streets of Woodbury to the haunting remains of Terminus to the Alexandria Safe-Zone.

Players will face relentless walker hordes and hostile human factions. Level up in real-time during each run, selecting from three randomized ability upgrades that evolve combat tactics on the fly for each level up. When the fighting stops, players must retreat to their Base Camp to fortify their community and ensure long-term survival.

Use scavenged materials to permanently improve gear and survivor attributes, ensuring a stronger return after every run. All the while, experience a world that grows through a consistent stream of new storylines, regular content drops, and community events that ensure the fight for the future never stays the same. Additional survivors and fan favorite characters are set to join the fight over time.

The post Roguelite Survival ‘The Walking Dead: Aftermath’ Now Available on Mobile [Trailer] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

The third season will premiere on July 26, 2026.

In “The Walking Dead: Dead City” Season 3, “Maggie and Negan finally put aside their differences to build the first thriving community in Manhattan since the apocalypse, but when chaos in the city begins to arise, they are forced to question: have they learned from their old wounds or will their dark past spell doom for the entire city?”

There’s a lot of humor in the new trailer below, which introduces a few new faces among the New York City community.

Fan favorites Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Lauren Cohan star alongside Gaius Charles, Lisa Emery, Logan Kim, Keir Gilchrist, Aimee Garcia, Jimmi Simpson, and Michael Emery. 

Raúl Castillo (Army of the Dead, Smile 2) has also joined “Dead City” Season 3.

Seth Hoffman (“The Walking Dead”, “Prison Break”) is the showrunner for Season 3.

The series is executive produced by Scott M. Gimple, chief content officer of The Walking Dead Universe, Showrunner Seth Hoffman, Cohan, Morgan, Brian Bockrath, and Colin Walsh. 

The post ‘The Walking Dead: Dead City’ Season 3 Trailer Aligns Maggie and Negan in Manhattan appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Check out the official teaser trailer below for your invite back to “Dead City.”

You’ll also find a preview of the season over on Entertainment Weekly this afternoon, which features some first-look images from Season 3 along with a very intriguing tease.

EW writes, “things are changing up quite a bit for Season 3, with [stars Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Lauren Cohan] filming an entire alternate reality episode taking place in a very different looking New York City.” The outlet further teases a scene they previewed, “While we’re quite used to seeing the characters of Negan and Maggie in New York at this point, something about this particular scene still feels odd. Why is Morgan’s Negan — clad in black from beanie-wearing head to boot-wearing toe — also sporting an ankle monitor? How come the streets seem so clean? Why is that random couple who look like they stepped out of an Old Navy catalog just strolling down the street all nonchalant? AND WHERE ARE ALL THE ZOMBIES?!?”

Fan favorites Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Lauren Cohan star alongside Gaius Charles, Lisa Emery, Logan Kim, Keir Gilchrist, Aimee Garcia, and Jimmi Simpson.

Raúl Castillo (Army of the Dead, Smile 2) has also joined “Dead City” Season 3.

In “The Walking Dead: Dead City” Season 3, “Maggie and Negan finally put aside their differences to build the first thriving community in Manhattan since the apocalypse, but when chaos in the city begins to arise, they are forced to question: have they learned from their old wounds or will their dark past spell doom for the entire city?”

Seth Hoffman (“The Walking Dead”, “Prison Break”) is the showrunner for Season 3.

The post ‘The Walking Dead: Dead City’ Season 3 Gets Summer Premiere Date on AMC [Teaser] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Directed by Meera Menon (“The Walking Dead,” “For All Mankind”), the character-driven horror-comedy premiered at Sundance 2025.

Set in the not-so-distant future, a young podcaster, Vinita, struggles to maintain her dwindling audience amidst the zombie apocalypse.

To make matters worse, the undead are beginning to mutate and become more powerful. When her ex-boyfriend shows up with an orphaned baby, it becomes all that much more important that Vinita and her family do what it takes to survive.

The film opens in the following theaters tomorrow, March 6, via Level 33 Entertainment:

• Laemmle Glendale – Los Angeles, CA
• Vidiots – Los Angeles, CA
• AMC Orange 30 – Los Angeles, CA
• AMC Fullerton 20 – Los Angeles, CA
• AMC Rolling Hills – Los Angeles, CA
• AMC Saratoga 14 – San Francisco, CA
• AMC Stonebriar Mall 24 – Dallas, TX
• AMC First Colony 24 – Houston, TX
• AMC Fountains 18 – Houston, TX
• AMC Empire 25 – New York, NY
• AMC Cherry Hill 24 – Philadelphia, PA
• AMC Voorhees 16 – Philadelphia, PA
• AMC Hoffman 22 – Washington, DC
• AMC Colonial 18 – Atlanta, GA
• AMC Summit 16 – Birmingham, AL
• AMC River East 21 – Chicago, IL
• AMC Roosevelt Collection 16 – Chicago, IL
• AMC Niles 12 – Chicago, IL
• AMC Highlands Ranch 24 – Denver, CO
• AMC Jefferson Point 18 – Fort Wayne, IN
• AMC Eden Prairie Mall 18 – Minneapolis, MN
• AMC Thoroughbred 20 – Nashville, TN
• AMC Quail Springs Mall 24 – Oklahoma City, OK
• AMC Ahwatukee 24 – Phoenix, AZ
• AMC Southcenter 16 – Seattle, WA

Kiran Deol (Destroy All Neighbors) stars with George Basil (Werewolves Within), Samrat Chakrabarti (“The Sinner”), Katie McCuen, Vishal Vijayakumar, Ali Lopez-Sohaili, and Kandis Erickson.

Menon penned the script with cinematographer Paul Gleason. They produce alongside Erica Fishman and Joe Camerota.

“I’m drawn to the question of what still makes life worth living when everything else has come undone,” said Menon. “Being an indie filmmaker right now feels like podcasting in the middle of a zombie apocalypse — this film is about the grit it takes to simply keep going.”

“Didn’t Die is a witty and poignant take on the classic zombie film, crafted by a group of truly remarkable filmmakers,” commented Level 33 President Andreas Olavarria. ” We can’t wait to share this film with audiences across North America.”

The post ‘Didn’t Die’ Trailer – Podcaster vs. Zombies in ‘The Walking Dead’ Director’s Horror Comedy appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

The DLC features three new story chapters featuring some of the memorable characters and locations from AMC’s iconic franchise. Players will be able to play as Rick Grimes, Daryl Dixon, Negan, and Michonne – with the voices of Andrew Lincoln and Norman Reedus reprising their fan-favorite characters – and battle the undead from the Prison to the Alexandria Safe Zone and all the way to Grady Memorial Hospital. You’ll fight to survive against new versions of World War Z’s infamous Zeke swarms inspired by The Walking Dead’s slower-moving – but no less deadly – Walkers.

Featuring two new melee weapons in Michonne’s Katana and Negan’s Bat “Lucille”, the DLC also has two new weapons skins to allow players to use Rick’s Revolver and Daryl’s Crossbow to battle the Walkers. And to make things interesting, Saber has crafted a new foe in the Spiked Walker. An even deadlier variant of Walker with tougher defenses that is impervious to melee until it’s been knocked prone. You’ll need to force them to the ground with enough damage, then go in for a quick melee kill before they rise again.

The post “World War Z x The Walking Dead” DLC for ‘World War Z’ Available Now [Trailer] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Set in the final days of World War II, the film follows a small unit of American soldiers sent behind enemy lines to locate the wreckage of an unidentified object. The mission quickly becomes a psychological and moral reckoning, forcing the men to confront fear, loyalty, and the consequences of the unknown.

The indie film is directed by Vincent Talenti and written by Gavin Hignight (“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles”).

Hugh Scott (Deadpool), Zak Steiner (“Euphoria”), Mace Coronel (“That ’90s Show”), Kevin Brooks, Sarah Hay (“Flesh and Bone”), and Nolan North (Uncharted) round out the cast.

“Unknown Company is a story about what it means to be human in the face of the inexplicable,” said Talenti. “The supernatural is grounded in real human stakes: relationships, regrets, and the brutal context of a world at war.”

Talenti produces alongside Eva Ceja, Dylan Palley, and Matt Ryan. Bret Rudnick serves as executive producer.

With filming recently wrapped, Unknown Company is now in post-production.

The post ‘The Walking Dead’s Ross Marquand Leads WWII Horror Film ‘Unknown Company’ appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Per Variety, along with revealing the release date, Saber’s chief creative officer Tim Willits dropped a few more details for the upcoming DLC, including just how this collaboration came to be.

“Since the launch of World War Z, one of our main priorities has always been finding new and exciting ways to support the experience for both new and returning players,” explains Willits. “At Saber, we’ve always thought The Walking Dead had the potential to be a fantastic collaboration, and we know our fans have been asking for it since World War Z’s early days, so really it was just a matter of reaching out to the amazing team at AMC.”

As for the storyline, Willits explains that it was a bit of a balancing act to preserve the authenticity of both franchises. “This is the first time that World War Z’s signature Zekes have been transformed into Walkers, a new change to the game’s core mechanic that stays authentic to the TV show, which we think will appeal to both The Walking Dead fans and World War Z players.” Players will be treading familiar ground across iconic locations from The Walking Dead with the choice of four survivors – Rick Grimes, Daryl Dixon, Negan, and Michonne – along with their iconic weapons.

That’s not to say that players will just be dealing with plain ol’ Walkers. Saber has done their work in creating a new foe in the Spiked Walker, which features “significantly heightened defenses.” Still, the thrill of using Michonne’s katana or Negan’s Lucille against the hordes of Walkers will no doubt please newcomers to the game, as well as seasoned players.

The post ‘The Walking Dead’ DLC Comes to ‘World War Z’ January 29th appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Coinciding with the announcement is news that Saber Interactive’s World War Z has officially crossed over 30 million players across all platforms since its original release.

In World War Z x The Walking Dead DLC, players will experience a new campaign episode featuring three new stories starring characters from AMC’s The Walking Dead – Rick Grimes, Daryl Dixon, Negan, and Michonne – with the voices of Andrew Lincoln and Norman Reedus reprising their characters. From the Prison to the Alexandria Safe Zone and Grady Memorial Hospital, players will fight to survive against new versions of World War Z’s infamous Zeke swarms inspired by The Walking Dead’s uniquely slower-moving but no less deadly Walkers.

The new DLC will feature the following:

• Experience a new story campaign set in the world of AMC’s The Walking Dead
• Take on three new chapters: the Prison, Alexandria Safe Zone and Grady Memorial Hospital
• Four playable survivors: Rick Grimes, Daryl Dixon, Michonne, and Negan
• Two new melee weapons: Michonne’s Katana and Negan’s Bat “Lucille”
• Two new weapon skins: Rick’s Revolver and Daryl’s Crossbow
• World War Z’s signature Zekes have been transformed into Walkers
• New special Zeke – Spiked Walkers: An even deadlier variant of Walker with tougher defenses that is impervious to melee until it’s been knocked prone. Force them to the ground with enough damage, then go in for a quick melee kill before it rises again!

“Saber has built incredible partnerships across the biggest horror universes and properties, so joining forces with The Walking Dead felt like a natural fit for World War Z,” said Matthew Karch, CEO and co-founder of Saber Interactive. “Uniting these two worlds is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time, and it’s amazing to finally have it happening.”

The post ‘World War Z’ Welcomes ‘The Walking Dead’ as Part of New Campaign DLC Next Month [Trailer] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

In Stern Pinball’s The Walking Dead Remastered pinball game, players will battle walkers and survive key scenes from the iconic AMC show in an immersive physical pinball experience.  The development team, led by John Borg, the designer of the original game, have created a modern version of the original, featuring enhanced versions of the “Cell Block C” Prison building, bicycle girl ramp, and an interactive Well Walker toy.  The fan-favorite crossbow device that shoots a pinball has been re-engineered and updated for increased precision and flexibility in gameplay.  The game also features new RGB lighting and illuminated zombie heads on the slingshots.

The game also includes an updated version of the previous ruleset that introduced a the game’s mode structure and risk-reward elements. Through the iconic Prison, Well Walker, and Blood Bath multiballs and the depth of each Dead Feature mode (Barn, CDC, Riot, Tunnel, and Arena), players are immersed in a pinball battle that can ultimately leave a “Last Man Standing”… that is, if you’re able to survive the Horde and escape Terminus along your adventure.

Stern has also developed new visuals that blend high-quality video elements with a vibrant painterly art style, both on the cabinet and on the display. Software enhancements will introduce additional game rules, including new custom audio call-outs from actors Michael Rooker (Merle) and Danai Gurira (Michonne).

Limited to 500 games globally, the highly collectible Limited Edition model includes the updated Expression Lighting System and Speaker Expression Lighting System with The Walking Dead-themed game effects, a full-color mirrored backglass, full-color high-definition cabinet decals, exclusive custom The Walking Dead Remastered pinball armor, a custom designer-autographed bottom arch, upgraded audio system, anti-reflection pinball playfield glass, shaker motor, a sequentially numbered plaque, a signed Certificate of Authenticity, and a digital Insider Connected LE owner’s badge on registration.

“The Walking Dead is one of the most memorable and influential pinball games in our time, and we’re proud of the entire Stern team for elevating this iconic game onto our new platform,” said Seth Davis, President & CEO of Stern Pinball. “We’re always looking to create new immersive and thrilling gameplay experiences in pinball, and there’s no better way to do that than by bringing The Walking Dead back from the dead and to an entirely new generation of zombie lovers and pinball players.”

The Walking Dead Remastered is available through authorized Stern Pinball distributors and dealers worldwide. You can find out more on the game and where to purchase the machine here.

The post Stern Pinball Unveils Remastered Version of ‘The Walking Dead’ Pinball Machines [Trailer] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Greg Nicotero has taken to Instagram to reveal that a tribute to Sam Raimi’s Army of Darkness was included in the latest episode of spinoff “Daryl Dixon,” but ultimately ended up being cut out of the episode. The zombie paid tribute to a Deadite from the 1993 horror-comedy.

Nicotero explains in an Instagram post this week, “On all of the Walking Dead shows, we always try to add a little accent here or there to make it fun for the Zombie fans. Sadly this shot did not make it into the most recent episode of Daryl Dixon, where a woman is bitten by a zombie…but I wanted to share as it’s kinda awesome.”

“If you look closely,” he continues, “you may notice that this particular walker there’s a striking resemblance to the deadite captain in army of darkness…fully intended!!!”

Greg Nicotero worked as a special makeup effects artist on Army of Darkness back in the 1990s, which makes this particular tribute a full circle moment for the makeup master.

Check out the clip that didn’t make it into the latest episode of “Daryl Dixon” below!

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Greg Nicotero (@gnicotero)

The post Greg Nicotero Shares ‘Army of Darkness’ Tribute Zombie That Was Cut from ‘Daryl Dixon’ Series appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

“Kelley passed peacefully on Saturday evening with her loving mother Kristen and steadfast aunt Karen present. Kelley has already come to many of her loved ones in the form of various butterflies. She will be missed by so many to depths that words cannot express,” her family shared on Instagram.

Mack appeared as Addy across five episodes in Season 9 of “The Walking Dead.” A young Hilltop Colony resident, Addy fought back against the Whisperers in a last stand before being beheaded by Alpha.

Her other genre roles include Broadcast Signal Intrusion, Shot in the Dark, and Delicate Arch.

A celebration of life will be held for Mack at the Glendale Lyceum in Glendale, OH on August 16, with a Los Angeles celebration to follow.

View this post on Instagram

The post ‘The Walking Dead’ Actress Kelley Mack Has Passed Away at 33 appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

“Getting the chance to welcome these incredible characters that we all love into the Dead by Daylight universe is a huge thrill for us,” says Dave Richard, Senior Creative Director on Dead by Daylight. “It’s rare that Survivors enter our game with an existing connection that runs this deep. Not only are they the perfect duo to take on The Entity’s Realm based on their skills and experiences, but they’ve also got this very unique relationship for two Dead by Daylight Survivors which we’re excited to represent.”

And while there’s no new map with this chapter, the new available Map Tile recreates some of The Walking Dead’s most iconic settings. Appearing whenever Rick or Michonne are loaded into the Garden of Joy map, the new tile features elements from the prison – as seen in The Walking Dead’s third and fourth seasons – as well as the iconic “Don’t Open Dead Inside” hospital doors from the Pilot episode, “Days Gone Bye.” The entire tile has been corrupted by The Entity’s presence, creating an eerie mashup between the two horror worlds.

Dead by Daylight: The Walking Dead is available now for the PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox Series, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam, the Epic Games Store and the Windows Store.

The post ‘Dead by Daylight: The Walking Dead’ Available Now for PC, Consoles [Trailer] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Norman Reedus stars as the fan favorite character from “The Walking Dead” main series, with Melissa McBride starring alongside Reedus in both Season 3 and soon Season 4.

“Across two extraordinary series spanning almost two decades, Norman and Melissa have given life to two of the most iconic characters in the history of television. Daryl and Carol have taken fans on an unforgettable and intensely human journey of challenge, survival, hope and friendship, and the response from fans, from the very first moments of The Walking Dead, has been remarkable,” said AMC’s Dan McDermott. “We can’t wait to share the upcoming third season of Daryl this fall and to begin production on this fourth and final season in Spain.”

“Daryl Dixon has been an incredible journey. I thank each and every fan who has joined us on this ride,” Reedus said in a statement. “It’s been a privilege to build this story for these characters, and we have so much gratitude for how it’s been embraced. Your love and support have made every moment worth it. This finale isn’t just an ending; it’s a celebration of what we’ve all shared together. Keep carrying that love forward — Daryl’s journey is far from over.”

McBride adds, “It has been the thrill of a lifetime to shoot this part of Daryl and Carol’s adventure together in Europe, and I keep coming back for more of these two characters. There is still so much story left to tell and so much for the fans to look forward to.”

In Season 3, “Norman Reedus and Melissa McBride will return as Daryl and Carol as they continue their journey home to the ones they love. As they struggle to find their way back, the path takes them farther astray, leading them through distant lands with ever-changing and unfamiliar conditions as they witness the various effects of the Walker apocalypse.”

“The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon” Season 3 premieres September 7 on AMC and AMC+.

The post ‘The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon’ Renewed for Fourth and Final Season appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Hoffman takes over the series starring fan-favorites Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Negan and Lauren Cohan as Maggie, both returning in the new season.

The season renewal comes just under a month after the series’ second season wrapped. In season three, “Maggie and Negan finally put aside their differences to build the first thriving community in Manhattan since the apocalypse, but when chaos in the city begins to arise, they are forced to question: have they learned from their old wounds or will their dark past spell doom for the entire city?”

“We’re thankful to Eli Jorné for two seasons of Dead City that took the story of these iconic characters in exciting new directions and broadened this thriving Universe by introducing a new corner of the walker apocalypse,” said Dan McDermott, president of entertainment and AMC Studios for AMC Networks. “As we continue to create new stories for a passionate TWD fanbase, we’re delighted to have a seasoned Walking Dead veteran like Seth Hoffman at the helm of a new season, alongside the remarkable Lauren Cohan and Jeffrey Dean Morgan, that will bring new adversaries and alliances and push the boundaries of Maggie and Negan’s conflicted relationship.”

“I’m excited to have the chance to dive back into The Walking Dead Universe and work to deliver another dynamic season’s worth of stories to this epic franchise. It’s a true honor to chart out the next chapter for Maggie and Negan’s iconic adventures in Dead City,” said Hoffman. “Lauren, Jeffrey and Scott are incredible creative partners and I’m thrilled to collaborate with them to bring this story to life.”

“Dead City” follows Maggie and Negan traveling into a post-apocalyptic Manhattan, long ago cut off from the mainland. The crumbling city is filled with the dead and denizens who have made New York City their own world full of anarchy, danger, beauty, and terror.

The series also stars Gaius Charles, Željko Ivanek, Mahina Anne Marie Napoleon, Lisa Emery, Logan Kim, Dascha Polanco and Kim Coates, amongst others.

Production on the third season is set to begin in Boston this fall.

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Having been swept into The Fog following a heroic sacrifice to save his community, Rick’s survival experience makes him an incredible asset. A natural leader, his willingness to do what needs to be done is reflected in his three character-specific Perks:

• Apocalyptic Ingenuity: Rummage through Chests to gain the ability to replace a Broken Pallet with a Fragile Pallet.
• Come and Get Me!: After Unhooking a Survivor, while crouched and idle you may use an Ability to make all nearby injured and dying Survivors completely silent and hide their Pools of Blood. In exchange, you’ll scream and briefly reveal your Aura to the Killer.
• Teamwork: Toughen Up: When another nearby Survivor Pallet stuns or blinds the Killer while you’re injured, your Grunts of Pain, Scratch Marks, and Pools of Blood will be completely reduced for a duration.

Following Rick’s heroic sacrifice, Michonne couldn’t shake the feeling that he was still out there, so she set out on a quest to find him. Everything changed when she heard his voice calling out from a veil of Black Fog. She followed it until she emerged in a dark, moonlit clearing – beside a mysterious campfire…

Luckily, Michonne is no stranger to facing death, and her three unique character Perks showcase her survival instincts first-hand:

• Conviction: Heal Survivors to activate Conviction. While recovering in the Dying State, gain the ability to instantly recover for a brief window. You will become Broken and return to the Dying State if you don’t manage to heal in time.
• Last Stand: After spending in the Killer’s Terror Radius while not in chase, Fast-Vault while near the Killer to stun them for a duration.
• Teamwork: Toughen Up: Successfully pallet stun a Killer to temporarily give nearby injured Survivors Endurance and reveal the Killer’s Aura to them

Arriving alongside the Chapter is The Walking Dead Collection, which includes several iconic Outfits from the series, including the aforementioned Legendary Daryl Dixon Outfit, which brings Daryl into The Fog as a new character.

The Collection also features Rick’s Last Day On Earth Outfit, his Brutal Awakening Outfit, and several Uncommon recolors. Michonne receives her The Next World Outfit, her What We Become Outfit, and several Uncommon recolors.

And while there’s no new map with this chapter, there is a new Map Tile, recreating some of The Walking Dead’s most iconic settings. Appearing whenever Rick or Michonne are loaded into the Garden of Joy map, the new tile features elements from the prison – as seen in The Walking Dead’s third and fourth seasons – as well as the iconic “Don’t Open Dead Inside” hospital doors from the Pilot episode, “Days Gone Bye.” The entire tile has been corrupted by The Entity’s presence, creating an eerie mashup between the two horror worlds.

Dead by Daylight: The Walking Dead will be available for the PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox Series, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam, the Epic Games Store and the Windows Store.

The post Rick, Michonne, and Daryl From ‘The Walking Dead’ Coming to ‘Dead by Daylight’ [Trailer] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

A new fight begins with the third season of the “Walking Dead” spin-off on September 7 on AMC and AMC+.

Watch the teaser, which debuted following last night’s “The Walking Dead: Dead City” season finale, below.

Norman Reedus and Melissa McBride will return as Daryl and Carol as they continue their journey home to the ones they love. As they struggle to find their way back, the path takes them farther astray, leading them through distant lands with ever-changing and unfamiliar conditions as they witness the various effects of the Walker apocalypse.

The cast also includes Candela Saitta, Gonzalo Bouza, Hada Nieto, Yassmine Othman, Cuco Usín, Stephen Merchant, Hugo Arbués, and Greta Fernández along with new series regulars Eduardo Noriega, Óscar Jaenada, and Alexandra Masangkay.

David Zabel (“ER”) returns as showrunner, executive producing alongside Reedus, McBride, Scott M. Gimple, Greg Nicotero, Angela Kang, Brian Bockrath, Jason Richman, Dan Percival, and Steve Squillante, Silvia Aráez, and Jesús de la Vega.

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There was a time, though it may be hard to believe these days, when Warner Bros. was the most daring studio in Hollywood. Most studios were content to produce mostly escapist entertainments, movies that would allow audiences to remove themselves from the struggles of the Great Depression in the 30s and the horrors of the War in the 40s for a couple hours at a time with any social or political convictions buried in the subtext if they were present at all. Warners on the other hand tackled hot button issues head-on in edgy, openly political films that took on prohibition, organized crime, poverty, prison reform, and more. Their most prolific and reliable director from the early 30s to the mid-50s was one of the few true artists to thrive in the studio system, Michael Curtiz.

Curtiz began making films in his native Hungary at the birth of cinema in that nation. One of his early silents even featured an upcoming actor who would soon become known to the world as Bela Lugosi. Upon arriving in Hollywood, he quickly became connected with Warner Bros. and began making a name for himself, at least among the studio brass if not the general public, as a reliable and versatile director. In his career, he made films in practically every genre and did so with a deftness and understanding of the visual language required for each. He was just as comfortable making adventure films on the high seas like Captain Blood (1935) as he was making gangster pictures like Angels with Dirty Faces (1938). Some of his most iconic features include the period war film The Charge of the Light Brigade (1936), The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938), the musicals Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942) and White Christmas (1954), the noir Mildred Pierce (1945) and of course, perhaps his greatest masterpiece and one of the Hollywood studio system’s greatest triumphs, Casablanca (1942). Early in his Hollywood career he also made three outstanding horror films: Doctor X (1932), The Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933), and The Walking Dead (1936).

The Walking Dead is something of a transitional film for Curtiz as it contains elements of the larger, “prestige” pictures he would soon begin making, while also being an intimate character film with the “B-picture” qualities of his earlier films. The term did not exist at the time, but in many ways, The Walking Dead is an exploitation picture, using horror to get people into the seats while sneaking in important social and political messages while they are there. The film is about a group of racketeers in an unnamed city seeking revenge against the honest Judge Shaw (Joe King) who they are unable to buy off for their purposes. They devise a plan to kill the judge and pin it on John Ellman (Karloff), a man just out of prison that Shaw had sent up for ten years for 2nd Degree Murder for killing a man who was, it is implied, sleeping with Ellman’s wife. The gangsters kill the judge and stash him in the back of Ellman’s car and naturally, Ellman is arrested and charged for the murder with revenge being the assumed motive.

Two young medical assistants, Jimmy (Warren Hull) and Nancy (Marguerite Churchill) witness the gangsters planting the body but are afraid to come forward for fear of being killed themselves. Eventually, they do come forward but by then it is too late as Ellman has been sent to the electric chair and executed just before the call from the governor comes in. Jimmy and Nancy’s boss, Dr. Beaumont (Edmund Gwenn), then revives Ellman through a series of medical procedures but he returns from death…changed. Ellman then goes about confronting each of the racketeers whose actions sent him to the Chair.

The film includes several Curtiz trademarks both in its filmmaking style and its thematic content. Like many of his films it contains a comparatively large cast of characters, some that are integral to the plot and others that are present to add color, that Curtiz manages to juggle in a way that never loses or confuses the audience. The story is also told at a breakneck pace without an ounce of fat on the bone. But despite its pacing and condensed length, there is plenty of room for visual storytelling and mood. Perhaps the best example of this is the sequence in the prison. Here Curtiz’s expressionistic use of light and shadow is on full display with the powerful use of the shadows of prison bars throughout. He also incorporates unusual angles, a ceiling fan spinning at just the right tempo, and a lone cellist playing Ellman off toward his destiny at the electric chair. The Walking Dead also exemplifies Curtiz’s penchant for tackling fiercely political themes in an accessible way as he would in many of his films including the deeply anti-fascist Casablanca and, in a repetition of the anti-capital punishment themes seen here, Angels with Dirty Faces.

Boris Karloff delivers a soulful and melancholic performance as John Ellman, the down-on-his-luck musician and ex-con who is framed and put to death for the murder of Judge Shaw. There are shades of his previous performance as Frankenstein’s Creature here, but there is ample reason for that. He is after all playing a reanimated corpse for much of the picture. Thematically, there are links to the earlier film as well, specifically James Whale’s fascination with class divisions exemplified by the poverty of the Creature juxtaposed against the wealth and station of his creator. There is also Beaumont’s obsession with the nature of the soul and what Ellman experienced during death—whether the essence of a human is metaphysical or merely biological.

Unlike the Creature, Ellman does not have elaborate makeup while still making a striking visual impression with just a small shock of white hair on one side, one drooping eyelid, and Karloff’s repetition of his Frankenstein trick of removing the bridgework on the right side of his mouth and sucking in his cheek. When standing, he has a pronounced limp that creates an iconic silhouette. The result is the look of someone who has suffered a stroke but the melancholic state of a man beginning to feel the effects of memory loss, even Alzheimer’s disease. Like patients afflicted by that condition, music connects him to lost memories and his abilities as a pianist awaken the humanity that he lost during death. Though Alzheimer’s was unnamed in the 30s, this is a phenomenon common in patients of the condition. Several years ago, I volunteered to play hymns for a small chapel service once a month at an Alzheimer’s care facility. Something about the music of their childhood tapped into long-lost memories. Their eyes would light up and their voices would strengthen. They would sing with an exuberance that many of us lose as we get older. The documentary film Alive Inside (2014) explores this phenomenon as well in a powerful and moving way.

Karloff’s performance is also unique in that he remains sympathetic throughout the entire run of the film as he never actually kills anyone. He confronts each of the racketeers asking “why did you have me killed?” but each of them becomes the victim of their own guilty conscience, goaded by Ellman’s watery-eyed stare, and dies in a freak accident. In this sense, The Walking Dead is the far-removed ancestor of something like the Final Destination series in which the characters die in bizarre accidents when confronted with death. Here, death is personified rather than being an unseen force.

Ellman finally seeks his own peace by returning to the cemetery because “it’s quiet, I belong here.” The contemplation of life after death becomes the obsession of Dr. Beaumont who is determined to discover a scientific proof of an afterlife from Ellman. Ultimately this remains a mystery as Ellman is unable to put his experiences into words beyond a sense of peace before he succumbs to death a second time and it is concluded that the mysteries of the hereafter, or lack thereof, must remain just that—mysteries.

The Walking Dead is a singular film that would have been largely forgotten without the efforts of Warner Bros. home video, specifically Warner Archive, who recently released a beautifully restored transfer of the film on Blu-ray. It makes an excellent companion to the equally beautiful restorations of the two-strip Technicolor releases of Doctor X and Mystery of the Wax Museum from a few years ago. As recent scholarship and appreciation of Michael Curtiz has brought him out of the shadows and into the spotlight along with his more familiar contemporaries, it is gratifying to know that his three forays into the horror genre have been so lovingly preserved alongside his better-known works. These gems are key pieces to the puzzle of 1930s horror cinema that deserve to be rediscovered and cherished for generations to come.

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“This collaboration with Fortnite is an incredible opportunity to expand The Walking Dead in ways we’ve never imagined,” says The Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman. “Whether it’s Lucille smashing through hordes or simply the eerie presence of Walkers, I can’t wait to see where the Fortnite community’s creativity takes us.”

These spine-tingling pre-made assets, such as Walkers and the iconic Lucille Melee Weapon (wielded by the infamous Negan), can be used to build creative opportunities that range from horror to fast and furious action.

“With The Walking Dead Universe now a part of UEFN and Fortnite Creative, our creators have an incredible toolbox to draw from,” says Saxs Persson, Executive Vice President at Epic Games. “The combination of these iconic assets with our powerful toolset is going to unlock action-packed storytelling and gameplay.”

While the built-in toolset and assets are available in Fortnite to use today, creators will be able to publish their ‘The Walking Dead Universe’ games and experiences on May 16. These creations will then be immediately accessible and playable to anyone in Fortnite.

For more information, you can hit up the Fortnite blog post detailing how you can get started.

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“The Walking Dead: Dead City” Season 2 premieres May 4 on AMC and AMC+.

Watch the new official trailer down below to see what Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Lauren Cohan, and their fan-favorite characters Negan and Maggie, are up to these days.

“Dead City” follows Maggie and Negan traveling into a post-apocalyptic Manhattan, long ago cut off from the mainland. The crumbling city is filled with the dead and denizens who have made New York City their own world full of anarchy, danger, beauty, and terror.

In Season 2, in the growing war for control of Manhattan, Maggie and Negan find themselves trapped on opposite sides. As their paths intertwine, they come to see that the way out for both is more complicated and harrowing than they ever imagined.

The series also stars Gaius Charles, Željko Ivanek, Mahina Anne Marie Napoleon, Lisa Emery, Logan Kim, Dascha Polanco and Kim Coates, amongst others.

Eli Jorné, who has been a writer and co-executive producer on “The Walking Dead” for multiple seasons, serves as showrunner and executive producer on the spinoff series.

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“The Walking Dead: Dead City” Season 2 premieres May 4 on AMC and AMC+.

The opening minutes of the eight-episode second season, starring Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Lauren Cohan as fan-favorite characters Negan and Maggie, were also released.

Watch the opening sequence for Season 2 below, wherein zombies power NYC back to life!

“The Walking Dead: Dead City” follows the popular Maggie (Cohan) and Negan (Morgan) characters traveling into a post-apocalyptic Manhattan, long ago cut off from the mainland. The crumbling city is filled with the dead and denizens who have made New York City their own world full of anarchy, danger, beauty, and terror.

In Season 2, in the growing war for control of Manhattan, Maggie and Negan find themselves trapped on opposite sides. As their paths intertwine, they come to see that the way out for both is more complicated and harrowing than they ever imagined.

The series also stars Gaius Charles, Željko Ivanek, Mahina Anne Marie Napoleon, Lisa Emery, Logan Kim, Dascha Polanco and Kim Coates, amongst others.

Eli Jorné, who has been a writer and co-executive producer on “The Walking Dead” for multiple seasons, serves as showrunner and executive producer on the spinoff series.

The post ‘The Walking Dead: Dead City’ Season 2 Premieres in May; Corpses Power NYC in Opening Scene appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Norman Reedus and Melissa McBride will be back for the continuing adventures of Daryl Dixon and Carol Peletier in “The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon” Season 3 on AMC in 2025.

Watch the teaser for Season 3 below.

The third season of “The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon” will be produced and set in Spain, with filming kicking off over the summer in Madrid. From what we gather, extensive location shooting is planned in the Galicia, Aragon, Catalonia and Valencia regions.

Season 3 tracks Carol (Melissa McBride) and Daryl (Norman Reedus) as they continue their journey towards home and the ones they love. As they struggle to find their way back, the path takes them farther astray, leading them through distant lands with ever-changing and unfamiliar conditions as they witness the various effects of the Walker apocalypse.

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The anticipated new season premieres Sunday, September 29 at 9:00 pm ET/PT on AMC and AMC+.

Watch the new teaser plus key art below.

Season 2 picks up where “Daryl Dixon” left off, following fan-favorite characters Daryl (Reedus) and Carol (McBride). They both confront old demons while she fights to find her friend and he struggles with his decision to stay in France, causing tension at the Nest.

Additionally, Genet (Anne Charrier)’s movement builds momentum, setting Pouvoir on a violent collision course with the Union of Hope in the fight for France’s future.

“The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon – The Book of Carol” also stars Clémence Poésy, Louis Puech Scigliuzzi, Laika Blanc Francard, Charrier, Romain Levi and Eriq Ebouaney, and is executive produced by showrunner David Zabel, Scott M. Gimple, Reedus, McBride, Greg Nicotero, Angela Kang, Brian Bockrath, Daniel Percival, Jason Richman and Steve Squillante.

If you need more reasons to tune in, we’ve learned that “The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon” has been renewed for a third season that will be produced and set in Spain. Production of season three will begin next month and be based in Madrid, with extensive location shooting planned in the Galicia, Aragon, Catalonia and Valencia regions.

Season 3 tracks Carol (Melissa McBride) and Daryl (Norman Reedus) as they continue their journey towards home and the ones they love. As they struggle to find their way back, the path takes them farther astray, leading them through distant lands with ever-changing and unfamiliar conditions as they witness the various effects of the Walker apocalypse.

Look for season 2 on September 29.

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Watch the official trailer for “The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon – The Book of Carol” below.

The season premieres September 29 on AMC and AMC+.

Additionally, we’ve learned that “The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon” has been renewed for a third season that will be produced and set in Spain. Production of season three will begin next month and be based in Madrid, with extensive location shooting planned in the Galicia, Aragon, Catalonia and Valencia regions.

Season 3 tracks Carol (Melissa McBride) and Daryl (Norman Reedus) as they continue their journey towards home and the ones they love. As they struggle to find their way back, the path takes them farther astray, leading them through distant lands with ever-changing and unfamiliar conditions as they witness the various effects of the Walker apocalypse.

But first, here’s what to expect from this year’s second season…

“The Daryl Dixon spinoff series tracks Daryl’s (Norman Reedus) journey across a broken but resilient France as he hopes to find a way back home. As he makes the journey, though, the connections he forms along the way complicate his ultimate plan.”

Season 2 picks up where “Daryl Dixon” left off, following fan-favorite characters Daryl (Reedus) and Carol (McBride). They both confront old demons while she fights to find her friend and he struggles with his decision to stay in France, causing tension at the Nest.

Additionally, Genet (Anne Charrier)’s movement builds momentum, setting Pouvoir on a violent collision course with the Union of Hope in the fight for France’s future.

“The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon – The Book of Carol” also stars Clémence Poésy, Louis Puech Scigliuzzi, Laika Blanc Francard, Charrier, Romain Levi and Eriq Ebouaney, and is executive produced by showrunner David Zabel, Scott M. Gimple, Reedus, McBride, Greg Nicotero, Angela Kang, Brian Bockrath, Daniel Percival, Jason Richman and Steve Squillante.

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AMC Networks’ The Walking Dead Universe returned to Comic-Con International’s Hall H with a star-studded panel for The Walking Dead: Dead City tonight. Executive Producer Eli Jorné, Executive Producers and Stars Lauren Cohan and Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and Cast Members Gaius Charles and Željko Ivanek surprised fans with the exclusive new teaser and casting announcements for season two, which returns to AMC and AMC+ next year. 

“The Walking Dead: Dead City” Season 2 casting announcements include:

• Keir Gilchrist (Atypical, It Follows), in the role of “Benjamin Pierce”
• Dascha Polanco (Orange Is the New Black, Poker Face), in the role of “Major Lucia Narvaez”
• Jake Weary (Oh, Canada, How to Blow Up a Pipeline), in the role of “Christos”
• Pooya Mohseni (Law & Order: SVU, See You Then), in the role of “Roksana”

“The Walking Dead: Dead City” follows Maggie and Negan traveling into a post-apocalyptic Manhattan, long ago cut off from the mainland. The crumbling city is filled with the dead and denizens who have made NYC their own world full of anarchy, danger, beauty, and terror.

In Season 2, in the growing war for control of Manhattan, Maggie and Negan find themselves trapped on opposite sides. As their paths intertwine, they come to see that the way out for both is more complicated and harrowing than they ever imagined.

Eli Jorné, who has been a writer and co-executive producer on “The Walking Dead” for multiple seasons serves as showrunner and executive producer on the series, along with Scott M. Gimple, chief content officer of The Walking Dead Universe, Cohan, Morgan, Brian Bockrath, Michael Satrazemis and Colin Walsh.

The post “The Walking Dead: Dead City” Season 2 Teaser Trailer – Negan & Maggie Return to NYC in 2025 appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

The following THIRTEEN AMC series’ are coming to Netflix on August 19…

• A Discovery of Witches Season 1-3
• Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire Season 1
• Anne Rice’s Mayfair Witches Season 1
• Dark Winds Season 1-2
• Fear the Walking Dead Season 1-8
• Gangs of London Season 1-2
• Into the Badlands Season 1-3
• Kevin can F*** Himself Season 1-2
• Monsieur Spade Season 1
• Preacher Season 1-4
• That Dirty Black Bag Season 1
• The Terror Season 1
• The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon Season 1

The plan is for all the above to be available for streaming on Netflix for a full year, with “The Walking Dead: Dead City” and “The Ones Who Live” hitting Netflix January 13, 2025.

“This agreement puts our high-quality shows in front of the vast audience of Netflix subscribers with the AMC brand clearly represented. These curated titles are also being strategically windowed to drive interest in current and upcoming seasons on our direct-to-consumer and partner platforms,” said Kristin Dolan, CEO of AMC Networks.

“We believe this significant expansion of our Netflix relationship will drive viewership and engagement on Netflix, while also raising awareness and interest in our award-winning content on AMC-branded and partner platforms across our distribution ecosystem.”

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Variety notes that Seven “appeared in 26 episodes, including the series finale.”

Norman Reedus has shared a handful of behind the scenes photos to his Instagram (@bigbaldhead), paying tribute to the canine companion that he calls the “best TV buddy ever.”

Seven’s stint on “The Walking Dead” began in Season 9, originally the pet of the character Leah Shaw. In the wake of the character’s disappearance, Daryl adopts the dog as his own.

It was Reedus who reportedly pushed for his character to have a canine pal on the show.

You were a very good boy, Seven. May you rest in peace.

 

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“The Book of Carol” will premiere September 29 on AMC and AMC+.

New images of the highly anticipated six-episode second season of the series, which stars fan-favorites Norman Reedus and Melissa McBride, were also released today.

As you may recall, the “Daryl Dixon” spinoff had originally been announced as a Daryl/Carol spinoff series, so it’s essentially returning to those original plans in its second season.

“The Daryl Dixon spinoff series tracks Daryl’s (Norman Reedus) journey across a broken but resilient France as he hopes to find a way back home. As he makes the journey, though, the connections he forms along the way complicate his ultimate plan.”

The new season picks up where “Daryl Dixon” left off, following fan-favorite characters Daryl (Reedus) and Carol (McBride). They both confront old demons while she fights to find her friend and he struggles with his decision to stay in France, causing tension at the Nest.

Additionally, Genet (Anne Charrier)’s movement builds momentum, setting Pouvoir on a violent collision course with the Union of Hope in the fight for France’s future.

“The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon – The Book of Carol” also stars Clémence Poésy, Louis Puech Scigliuzzi, Laika Blanc Francard, Charrier, Romain Levi and Eriq Ebouaney, and is executive produced by showrunner David Zabel, Scott M. Gimple, Reedus, McBride, Greg Nicotero, Angela Kang, Brian Bockrath, Daniel Percival, Jason Richman and Steve Squillante.

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AMC has released a behind-the-scenes look at production on the second season of “The Walking Dead: Dead City,” premiering in 2025 on AMC and AMC+. Check it out below.

The hit series in the Walking Dead Universe stars Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Lauren Cohan as the fan-favorite characters Negan and Maggie. Both actors will return for Season 2.

“The Walking Dead: Dead City” follows Maggie and Negan traveling into a post-apocalyptic Manhattan, long ago cut off from the mainland. The crumbling city is filled with the dead and denizens who have made NYC their own world full of anarchy, danger, beauty, and terror.

In Season 2, in the growing war for control of Manhattan, Maggie and Negan find themselves trapped on opposite sides. As their paths intertwine, they come to see that the way out for both is more complicated and harrowing than they ever imagined.

The series also stars Gaius Charles, Željko Ivanek, Mahina Anne Marie Napoleon, Lisa Emery, Logan Kim and Kim Coates, amongst others.

Eli Jorné, who has been a writer and co-executive producer on “The Walking Dead” for multiple seasons serves as showrunner and executive producer on the series, along with Scott M. Gimple, chief content officer of The Walking Dead Universe, Cohan, Morgan, Brian Bockrath, Michael Satrazemis and Colin Walsh.

The post “The Walking Dead: Dead City” Will Return in 2025 appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

The second season of the Daryl Dixon spinoff series brings Melissa McBride’s Carol back into the fold, and you can catch up with both characters by watching AMC’s preview below.

AMC opens up “The Book of Carol” in Summer 2024. Stay tuned.

As you may recall, the “Daryl Dixon” spinoff had originally been announced as a Daryl/Carol spinoff series, so it’s essentially returning to those original plans in its second season.

“The Daryl Dixon spinoff series tracks Daryl’s (Norman Reedus) journey across a broken but resilient France as he hopes to find a way back home. As he makes the journey, though, the connections he forms along the way complicate his ultimate plan.”

David Zabel serves as showrunner for the Daryl Dixon show.

The series stars Norman Reedus, Clémence Poésy, Adam Nagaitis, Anne Charrier, Eriq Ebouaney, Laika Blanc Francard, Romain Levi and Louis Puech Scigliuzzi.

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“Become,” the penultimate episode of “The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live,” takes viewers back to a more nostalgic-style of storytelling in the TWDU. On the heels of their rocky escape from the Civic Republic Military, Michonne and Rick are honeymooning their way through Wyoming, enjoying the sights and sounds of a quiet, apocalyptic grassland. Moving from place to place, staying in all sorts of random structures left to rot – this traveling style of survival calls to mind the many episodes of Season 4 and 5 which featured our band of survivors endlessly roaming the countryside. Most memorably, Carl, Michonne, and Rick once had an eventful journey down the railroad tracks in rural Georgia. As the spin-offs in the universe start leaning heavily into more civilized, polished settings, it’s a breath of fresh (or rotten) air to return to the greenery and grass that once defined “The Walking Dead’s” visual aesthetic. 

After so much tension and turmoil, it’s wonderful to see Rick and Michonne in high-spirits again, slowly sinking back into the dynamic they once had. Later in the episode, the duo flirt and frolic their way into an abandoned national park gift shop. Rick secretly collects gifts for Michonne, breaking off the letters of a custom necklace so that it remains just a shiny “M” on a chain. Who says love is dead in the zombie apocalypse? 

In a classic display of Walking Dead-isms, Rick and Michonne stumble across a small group under attack from some particularly rocky walkers. The duo immediately jump into hero mode, quickly dispatching the shambling enemies. As another act of kindness, they gift the recovering survivors some bagged noodles (not so subtly labeled “Tasteful Noods”). Just as Rick and Michonne start to walk away, the survivors pull out pistols. In a situation that would have caused massive conflict in the main series’ earlier seasons, the duo makes quick work of the hostiles, disarming them almost immediately. 

The brief de-escalation comes across as almost comedic, but viewers shouldn’t expect any less extreme of a reaction from Rick and Michonne after what they’ve experienced over the years. Afterwards, the duo grab their noodles back, take one of the hostiles’ pistols (noticeably a red pistol, red machete anyone?), and give them one more chance to change their ways of survival. The scene at first seems to be nothing more than a fun wink to Michonne and Rick’s skills, but in The Walking Dead world nothing comes without a consequence. The spared survivors cleverly show up later, playing a key role in how the episode shakes out; but more on that later. 

One of the most notable elements from “Become” is the surprising return of Seth Gilliams’ Father Gabriel character, last seen in the flagship series’ finale. The character appears in several brief flashbacks scattered intermittently throughout the episode. At different periods throughout the main show’s timeline, it is revealed that Father Gabriel and Jadis (Pollyanna McIntosh) used to have yearly meet-ups in the woods near Alexandria. Jadis would frequently ponder about her sins and decisions, with Gabriel almost serving as a priest in a confession-style dialogue. Gabriel upsettingly recounts the loss of Rick Grimes on the bridge, with Jadis (knowing of his fate) having to keep her lips sealed regarding the livelihood of their seemingly-fallen leader. It’s an interesting dynamic to see on-screen again, although I’d be lying if I said I didn’t forget that Father Gabriel and Jadis’ relationship briefly turned romantic earlier in Season 9.

It’s great to see a classic “The Walking Dead” character return to the screen and these sequences also grant Jadis a few more intimate and authentic moments before her imminent demise. The narrative placement of these moments in comparison to the broader The Walking Dead timeline is tough to mentally sort out on the spot, but with a quick Google you’ll find that fans have already broken out what events in the main show’s story were occurring during these sequences. The Walking Dead fans are very much still out and about. 

As I mentioned earlier, episode 5 sees the grand demise of none other than Jadis AKA Anne. First appearing in Season 7 of the series, Pollyanna McIntosh has felt like a key part of The Walking Dead’s story for many years. Despite slimming the amount of legacy cast leads within its spin-off shows, it’s great to see The Walking Dead still committing to their “no one is safe” mantra in regards to its main characters’ mortality. 

Kick-started by a dangerously hilarious surprise visit from Jadis while Rick and Michonne lay in bed together (similar to Jesus’ surprise appearance to Rick and Michonne in Alexandria), Jadis’ final stand is commendable and downright captivating. Tied together by hand-to-hand combat, a vicious car chase, and a suspenseful shoot-out, Jadis’ final battle with Rick and Michonne is well-earned and tense. The episode conveniently brings back the disgruntled survivors from earlier, allowing for a wounded Jadis to enlist their help in taking down Rick and Michonne

Rick, Michonne, and Jadis shout out at each other amongst the chaos, desperately trying to make an arrangement that results with none of them bleeding out. Jadis’ hostile survivors perish in the fight, bringing us back to a solely Jadis vs. Rick and Michonne matchup. Jadis still boasts the fact that she has stowed a secret document with all of Alexandria’s information at the CRM in the event of her demise. As the fight reaches its intensive end the now re-animated versions of the dead survivors pop up and take a chunk out of Jadis’ neck, perhaps revenge for using them as a punching bag just to get to Rick. As Jadis succumbs from her fatal wound, she reminisces about her journey in the apocalypse. It’s an elegantly written monologue, albeit a bit watered down by cuts to shots from the original The Walking Dead show that stand out due to the drastic difference in video quality. 

Jadis’ final message sums up her character’s experiences and arc pretty beautifully, showing us that in the end Anne prevailed and “Jadis” was never truly as cold-hearted as the Civic Republic Military wanted her to be. 

”I wish I died an artist. It was never about survival. And that life… it was just about truth. And this is mine. The end of my story. My peace,” Jadis proclaims.

This final dialogue is delivered with such vivid emotion from McIntosh, perfectly conveying the anguish and longing of one wishing for their life before the apocalypse. The entire sequence is intercut with Gabriel and Jadis’s last yearly visit, in which she holds him at gunpoint in order to eliminate any loose ends. As Jadis is defeated in the present day, the events in the flashback unfold only to reveal that Jadis’ opted not to kill Gabriel, choosing her heart over allegiance to the CRM. 

Major props to Pollyanna McIntosh for portraying such a dynamic and eccentric character throughout an ever-evolving series. Much like Dead City, these spin-off shows allow the TWDU to fully explore grand and drastic evolutions of characters from the main series.

Before dying, Jadis reveals the whereabouts of her secret briefing on Alexandria, laying the seeds for Michonne and Rick’s next journey. Lastly, Jadis reveals that she has a ring on hand, one that Father Gabriel gave to her after remembering Rick’s wishes to marry Michonne back in the main series. They take the ring, Michonne vows to take down the CRM, and soon after Rick executes Jadis before she turns. 

To cap-off yet another phenomenal episode, Rick finally proposes to Michonne using the ring from Father Gabriel in a romantic moment that has been a long-time coming for fans of these characters. Only in The Walking Dead would a character’s gruesome death somehow play a part in a marriage proposal. The soon-to-be newlyweds start their journey back to the CRM, setting up the finale of Season 1(?) of The Ones Who Live.

With much to cover in only one episode, it seems all but certain that this spin-off will have some sort of continuation within The Walking Dead Universe; even if not under the same name. 

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“What We,” written by Michonne herself, Danai Gurira, is the fourth episode in AMC’s “The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live.” Serving as an emotional climax for Michonne and Rick’s journey, the episode unravels much like a play (which makes sense given Gurira’s background as a playwright). Confined to an abandoned apartment building in the wake of Michonne pulling Rick out of a helicopter, the long-lost lovers finally have some alone time to talk things over. 

What follows is a beautifully written, dialogue-heavy episode that is heightened by dynamic blocking and set design. Much of the episode finds Rick and Michonne arguing over their next steps, pacing and moving around the small apartment they’ve found themselves in. Despite an exit-plan at their fingertips, Rick seems hesitant to travel with Michonne back to Alexandria. Michonne, rightly frustrated, argues with Rick, spiraling the conversation into circles. Grimes is allegiant to the Civic Republic Military and truly believes he can do some good for not only his community, but for the world.

As the episode progresses, Michonne’s frustration with Rick rings just as true for her as it does for the viewers. Despite Michonne’s constant pleas for the man she once knew to return to his children, Rick keeps circling back to his supposed need to remain at the CRM. It’s clear, even more so this episode, that Rick is a shell of who he used to be. Beaten down by years of failed escapes and separation from his family, “The Brave Man,” as RJ Grimes calls his absent father, is not so brave anymore. In a post online, a fan pointed out that the Rick Grimes we once knew essentially did die on that fateful bridge back in season 9. And they’re not wrong.

While Rick and Michonne’s physical reunion was granted to viewers almost immediately in this series, the emotional reunion between the two iconic characters was only truly achieved in this episode. Preventing Rick Grimes from returning to his former glory with a simple snap has proved to result in a much more dynamic, intriguing, and believable narrative for the long-absent character. Michonne finding Rick was only one step of the battle, with Rick finding himself being the toughest hill to climb. Andrew Lincoln once again showcases a masterclass of acting as Grimes cycles through his damaged psyche, desperately trying to figure out how to connect with Michonne. Gurira matches Lincoln’s emotional performance, evoking Michonne’s desperation and anger with authenticity. Letting Gurira take over writing duties for this specific episode proved extremely beneficial given the emotional legwork the character trudges through in this particular installment. If there’s anyone who can understand Michonne the best, it’s Danai Gurira. 

Despite the stellar writing and episode flow, “What We” is not free from a few so-so moments. A chandelier conveniently lands on Michonne, forcing Rick to stay back to rescue her as a shambling horde comes his way. It’s understandable why this sequence occurred, but with so many other ways to place Michonne in peril, the convenient crashing of a chandelier onto her leg comes across on the goofier side. It’s the type of fake-out dangerous moment the flagship series would too often pull on characters we surely knew would not meet their demise. Earlier in the episode, Rick and Michonne’s descent from the helicopter is shown. The visual isn’t super convincing, and the sequencing of shots that follow feels disjointed – clearly meant to hide a restrictive budget. It’s a rare moment of low-quality that sticks out amongst an otherwise polished, elevated looking show. 

On the other hand, “What We” is full of incredible stand out moments. As Michonne changes out of her wet clothes, Rick notices her “X” scar for the first time, a mark fans of the flagship series will remember. Michonne and Daryl’s fateful encounter with a community of murderous children proved to be one of Season 10’s darkest episodes. A somber dialogue occurs later in the episode, offering longtime fans another moment of Michonne filling in Rick about one of the many impactful moments he missed during his absence. The real revelation comes when Michonne mentions Rick’s “Children” and a look of subtle shock washes over Grimes’ face. Michonne breaks the news about RJ, their child that Rick never got the chance to meet.

Even after the revelation, Grimes still refuses to just leave with Michonne, forcing her to try even harder to break his spell of delusion. The constant back-and-forth between these apocalyptic lovers plays out against the framing of a beautiful rectangular window. As the episode progresses, the apartment building itself begins to collapse into rubble, a consistent visual motif for a relationship that is on the rocks. 

After an elongated sequence of several walker kills, close calls, couple bickering, and some hilarious jabs (Michonne mocking Rick by calling him “Commando”), the duo finally return back to the apartment room and connect on a physical level. The scene is shot like a fantasy, backlit by a warm circular light and serenaded by Sam Ewing’s beautiful original score. Intimate framing showcases the emotional reaction of the characters, emphasizing the importance of this long-awaited moment and the rekindling of their love. “You’re still lying to me, you’re lying to yourself,” Michonne says in the aftermath of their romantic moment. The walls are down, and Michonne is ready to pry the old Rick Grimes out of his decaying shell.

With the building at the brink of collapse, Michonne orders Rick to stay back until they decide exactly what they are doing next. “They’ve taken so much from us, why give them anymore!” Michonne pleads to Grimes. And finally, Rick Grimes spills his guts as Andrew Lincoln puts on an intensely raw performance crying through the following poignant monologue: 

“Tell me what is really going on here? What did they take from you?” Michonne asks. 

“Carl…They took Carl. I lost him again,” Rick reveals with a tenderness in his voice. 

“I’d meet up with Carl in my dreams. And that’s how I survived up here. Kept me alive. And then one day he was just gone. He just left. But then I started dreaming of you. And there you were. You and I fell in love in different ways. And it kept me going. And then you were gone too. I couldn’t see your face anymore just like I couldn’t see Carl’s. I can’t live without you. Without you, I die. And I figured out how to do that. I know how to be dead and live now. You can’t just come back here, make me come alive again if I don’t know if I won’t lose you again. What if I lose you and I can’t figure out how to die all over again? I need to get ahead of it Michonne.”

As Ewing’s somber music swells, nostalgic shots of Rick walking along the fields with Carl play out and the core heart that kept Rick fighting for all of these years becomes emotionally apparent yet again.

In a full circle moment, Michonne hands Rick a broken phone with artwork of Carl on it, a visual reminder of a face Rick longed to remember and a great payoff to Michonne stumbling upon the phone artist in the CRM city. Much like how a broken phone with artwork on it brought Michonne back to Rick, the same has brought Rick back to Michonne. Rick’s monologue also elegantly ties in the entire show’s motif of “The Walking Dead,” as Grimes cries to Michonne about how he has learned to “be dead and live.” The entire sequence is one of the show’s (and possibly the series’) best, featuring Emmy-worthy performances from both Gurira and Lincoln. 

The killing of Carl back in Season 8 still remains one of the boldest and somewhat baffling decisions the core show made, but much like how the series turned Carl’s loss into a motivator for Rick to restore a brand new world, the power of Carl’s memory is able to ground Rick back to his emotional center. For a flagship series that can sometimes all too quickly move along after the tragic deaths of its main characters, the overall writing arc for the loss of Carl has proved to be beautifully crafted.

United yet again, Michonne and Rick make a mad dash out of the collapsing building, disposing of walkers and making out along the way. The  production design of the decaying hallways call to mind the corridors of the hospital Grimes first woke up in, perhaps a slight nod to this moment being yet another “rebirth” for the character. As the duo drive away from the collapsing building in a nearby truck, it’s evident that the apocalypse’s power couple is finally back, and together no one can stop them. 

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Coming off an exceptional second episode last week (which featured an awesome nod to Dawn of the Dead, a stand-out performance from newcomer Matthew Jeffers as Nat, and the wonderful full reunion between Rick and Michonne), “The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live” Episode 3 (“Bye”) finds Michonne still undercover within the CRM as a consignee. She’s under strict orders from Rick to pretend to be a “B,” when it’s clear Michonne is anything but. Watching Andrew Lincoln and Danai Gurira play off the dynamic of reunited lovers acting like complete strangers is endlessly entertaining, and another testament to how strong the duo are as performers. 

Michonne can only play innocent for so long, as her natural skills fending off the undead become clear during the frequent walker killing sessions that consignees are required to do at the CRM’s walls. Michonne punctures walkers one by one in sequences filled to the brim with that classic Walking Dead gore. Despite the show’s core focus on the CRM’s hierarchies, The Ones Who Live still finds time to give fans that expected zombie goodness. Another standout sequence sees Rick and Michonne push a device that emits distractive noises into a horde, all while ghastly fog entombs their surroundings. Clever camera placement grants viewers a first-person perspective as the hunk of machinery rams down walkers as the duo push it farther into the woods. How romantic!

Earlier in the episode, a rotting corpse tries to push itself into a subway turnstile, so much so that the metal bars split its body into several pieces, allowing a shambling group of walkers to finally pass through the entryway. The walkers look better than ever in The Ones Who Live, reaching a state of decomposition that brings to mind Rick Baker’s incredible zombies from 2003’s The Haunted Mansion (yeah I just referenced 2003’s The Haunted Mansion). Human features are slim to none on these cre​​atures, with bone and gnarly rotting flesh infesting most of their gruesome faces. 

Jadis (Pollyanna McIntosh) plays a much bigger role in this episode, appearing in several scenes alongside Lincoln’s Rick. A mini-flashback recounts Grimes encountering Jadis for the first time since his helicopter rescue. Despite saving his life, Jadis is still up to her old tricks – using Rick’s captivity in exchange for her entry into the CRM’s city. For a character that was often critiqued and less well-liked in the original series for her strange antics, it’s great to see McIntosh truly reach the final form of Jadis, weird quirks and all. From the garbage dump, to the Civic Republic Military, Jadis is another great example of a classic The Walking Dead character that has gone through an enormous amount of evolution throughout the series. The tension between Grimes and Jadis is heated, as she is the only person within the CRM who knows of Rick and Michonne’s past. Any attacks against Jadis will result in her exposing the entirety of Rick’s old group in Alexandria, a fate that would surely result in death and destruction. Rick is able to get in a jab about Jadis’ treacherous new haircut, a moment of comedy that strikes perfectly in an otherwise heavy, dark series. 

Another great tidbit from the recent episode happens when Michonne stumbles across an artwork vendor in the city featuring the same artistic style that was on the broken cell phone with her and Judith drawn on it. One of The Walking Dead’s most intriguing questions finally has an answer; Rick had commissioned an artist in the CRM’s city to illustrate Michonne and Judith multiple times on broken phones in an effort to reach them. One of these phones eventually made its way onto the boat that Michonne uncovered in Season 10, signaling to her that Rick was still alive and beginning her journey to find him. Michonne chats with the artist, who mentions that Rick had also wanted him to draw a boy but he could never get it right. Michonne is quick to reveal that “the boy’s” name was “Carl,” with a slight smile on her face. It’s a short and subtle moment, but the emotion still shines through thanks to Danai’s performance. It’s great to see the show acknowledge the loss of Carl, as his shocking removal from the series still continues to be one of the more drastic decisions the original series made. 

The main tension from the episode comes from Rick’s desire for Michonne to flee the CRM…without him. Grimes devises a surprisingly easy escape plan for Michonne, omitting the fact that he won’t be coming with her. Michonne, who will not leave without her beloved, ignores her window for escape and confronts Rick. He desperately believes that the only way she, and the rest of his family back at Alexandria, will be safe is if someone remains at the CRM to make sure they don’t go after her. After years of trying to escape, Rick is broken in a way we have not seen before. He believes escape is out of the question for him, and Michonne is desperate to break him out of this state of mind. Will the CRM be the villain to finally break Rick Grimes? Rick was previously at his lowest when Negan murdered Glenn and Abraham in front of him in cold blood, but Grimes was able to come back from that. Michonne hasn’t lost her edge and dedication to surviving, and hopefully she can bring that side back out of Rick. 

To make matters worse, recently promoted Commander Pearl Thorne (Lesley-Ann Brandt) is getting suspicious over Michonne’s potential threat to the leadership in the CRM. A tense sequence sees Thorne interrogating Michonne, while a stressed Rick watches from behind her. Thorne begins to unsheathe her knife from behind her back, and Rick grabs his pistol from its holster. While Thorne doesn’t end up attacking Michonne, Rick’s reaction shows that he’s willing to blow his cover if Michonne’s life is on the line. Stellar editing emphasizes the uneasiness of this effective scene. 

Later on in the episode, Thorne has Michonne in her gun’s sights during an off-site mission, only for Rick to throw a walker in front of Thorne’s point of view. With Horne’s suspicions growing to a dangerous high and Rick’s refusal to join in on an escape, Michonne goes to her last resort. While taking a copter back to base, a thunderstorm rocks the flying vehicle. As the storm intensifies, Michonne slides open the copter’s door and pulls Rick out with her! Hopefully, Michonne was equipped with some sort of parachute or else this could be up there with one of The Walking Dead’s biggest “jump the shark” moments. 

From a production stand-point, The Ones Who Live continues to be cinematically superb. Sam Ewing’s score elevates moments of tension and emotion with some seriously beautiful motifs. Smooth editing blends together time jumps effortlessly, keeping the pacing fast and always engaging. Night and day scenes alike are lit beautifully, creating a diverse visual palette that the flagship series often lacked with its constant woodsy terrain. “Bye” seems to wrap up a mini-three episode arc, hinted at by their connecting titles: “Years,” “Gone,” “By” (a reference to the flagship series’ pilot “Days Gone Bye.”) Overall, The Ones Who Live continues to surprise and delight three episodes in. With these first few episodes completely covering Rick and Michonne’s journey and reunion, the remainder of the series is free to explore exciting new narratives with the apocalypse’s favorite couple. 

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The latest example of this spinoff trend is “The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live,” which premiered this past Sunday night on AMC and AMC+. The series brings back Andrew Lincoln’s Rick Grimes and Danai Gurira’s Michonne, charting the epic love story between the two main series characters and documenting their struggle to reunite amidst a zombie hell.

“The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live” debuted last week with critical acclaim – Bloody Disgusting’s review hailed the premiere episode as both “exceptional” and “emotional” – and it sounds like it was also a ratings success for AMC. For the first time in what seems like a long time, AMC is proudly advertising the viewership numbers for “The Walking Dead” again.

The Wrap reports that the premiere episode “delivered 3 million viewers during its premiere week, according to Nielsen Live +3 ratings.” The website notes for further context, “These premiere ratings are the biggest AMC has seen for a new show in six years.”

“Additionally,” The Wrap continues, “the first episode of “The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live” is the most-watched episode of any show on the [AMC+] platform. Though AMC didn’t give any specific numbers, the two-day viewership total for the premiere has already outpaced the first week of viewership for any season premiere on the platform.”

“On Sunday, we had an incredible reunion of ‘TWD’ giants: Rick and Michonne — and the fans of ‘The Walking Dead,’ both old and new,” longtime franchise architect Scott M. Gimple said in a press release this week. “Danai and Andy’s mind-blowing work in front of and behind the camera, along with the efforts of a truly wonderful cast and crew was all for an audience we asked to believe just a little bit longer. We’re grateful they did.”

“What a start for ‘The Ones Who Live,’ the biggest episode of television in the history of AMC+ for both viewership and customer acquisition, the top cable drama of the current TV season in key demos and our biggest AMC series premiere in six years,” Dan McDermott, president of entertainment for AMC Studios for AMC Networks, added in the same press release. “This is a show the world, and particularly the incredibly passionate and engaged fans of this universe, have been waiting for and essentially willed into existence.

“Thanks to Danai, Andy and Scott for everything it took to get here and all that is yet to come. We can’t wait to share the rest of this incredible season with the fans over the next five weeks.”

New episodes of “The Ones Who Live” premiere Sunday nights on AMC and AMC+.

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THIS REVIEW/RECAP CONTAINS EPISODE 1 SPOILERS!

Set within the ever-growing “Walking Dead” universe, “The Ones Who Live” serves as a sequel to the flagship series, filling in the gaps after Rick Grimes departed the main series and Michonne set off to find her long-lost lover. Rick has been held in captivity by the Civic Republic Military (CRM), a vast government organization that has been consistently teased and touched on in nearly all “Walking Dead” media. Meanwhile, Michonne has begun the ultimate journey, traveling far and wide in hopes of crossing paths with Grimes. 

The first five or so minutes of episode 1, titled “Years,” sets a very striking tone almost immediately. Our first glimpse at Rick Grimes sees him holding a glass shard up to his neck, contemplating giving up on it all. He stares out of a small window, watching wind turbines rotate endlessly, a visual that I can only assume reminds him of Alexandria’s farmlands. 

The booming and ominous score from Sam Ewing truly emphasizes how bleak Grimes’ current situation is. The cinematography is appropriately foreboding, casting Andrew Lincoln in harsh shadows amongst a dark green room. As always, Lincoln brings an unrivaled emotional approach to his performance as Grimes, conveying so much in such a short sequence without any dialogue. 

If the opening wasn’t bleak enough, things continue to darken as a title card ‘5 YEARS AFTER THE BRIDGE” is followed by a menacing sequence in a dimly lit forest. CRM soldiers wield Grimes and others on retractable rope, letting them only go as far as they’ll let them. Equipped with hatchets, the prisoners are sent out into a burning forest, tasked with clearing out the ember-infused walkers that meander about. Razor sharp editing ramps up the tension, as the sound of Grimes’ “leash” detracting from the CRM soldier blares over the action. 

Rick Grimes dashes through the woods, hacking and slashing at walkers; beautifully shot and lit with orange hues. Bright red lights illuminate the silhouettes of the CRM soldiers supervising the operation. The visual identity of “The Ones Who Live” is strong, stylized, and striking. 

The scene climaxes with a historic moment that has been speculated about for months and pays gruesome tribute to Robert Kirkman’s comic series. To free himself from the leash contraption, Rick Grimes takes his hatchet (heated by the charred walkers) and CHOPS his own hand off. Lincoln plays the pain and contemplation to the max, showcasing more of his ever-so-incredible acting chops (pun intended). To make matters even more painful, Grimes cauterizes the wound in the burning carcass of one of the fallen walkers.  The now freed Grimes is only able to get so far before being tazed by a CRM soldier, and forced to watch a walker corpse burn beside him as he realizes there is truly no escape no matter what he does. 

Throughout the episodes we get flickers of one of Rick’s dreams, a well-lit meet-cute between him and Michonne. In these sequences, Rick and Michonne don’t meet under the circumstances of the end of the world, but instead on a lunch break in the park. The scenes are well-acted, and it’s a pleasure watching Andrew Lincoln and Danai Gurira flex their on-screen chemistry. At times, it is quite jarring to go from intense sequences to the glossy clean snippets with these two apocalyptic lovers. While they are just dreams, seeing Lincoln and Gurira share the screen together less than 10 minutes into the episode feels a bit unearned given that the main hook of the show is the duo finally reuniting with one another. 

Following Rick’s gruesome escape attempt, we’re finally keyed in to more of the processes, operations, and hierarchies of the CRM. Soldier Donald Okafor (Craig Tate) reveals to Rick that he has continued to vouch for him despite his rebellious tendencies. He sees a leader in Grimes, and hopes he’ll join in on his secret plan to refine the CRM’s military operations. Pearl Thorne (Lesley-Ann Brandt), another rebellious captive that Okafor sees potential in, is invited to join in on this conversation as well. The scene is beautifully lit under the moonlight, set amongst the jagged remains of a football stadium. 

Okafor explains the meaning of the “A” and the “B” labeling, something that’s been of much conversation in “The Walking Dead” fandom for years after Jadis used the term when helicoptering Rick away in Season 9. He goes on to say, “A’s have a strength, A’s will die for what they believe in. People follow A’s.” On the other hand, “B’s are “Everyday people who are just trying to survive. B’s get in, A’s are sent away and killed…” Rick Grimes is most certainly an “A” yet back in Season 9 Jadis radioed in that she had a “B.” It seems evident that Jadis lied to ensure that Rick was kept alive, and knew he could do some good for the CRM. It’s quite cool to see something mentioned over 6 years ago finally receive pay-off in this new series.

Rick Grimes reluctantly agrees to train to become a CRM soldier. The series showcases its healthy budget as Rick goes through various stages of training, even learning how to fly a helicopter. Rick is outfitted with a prosthetic hand attached to a retractable knife, something Merle would’ve killed for. The sheer size and intricacies of the CRM’s military arm is of a technical scale that we have yet to see in “The Walking Dead’s” universe. It feels reminiscent of Daryl’s quick stint joining the Commonwealth’s military, although much grander. Surprisingly, Rick doesn’t happen to mention anything regarding his former experience as a Sheriff, something that I feel like would’ve come up during the extensive combat training. 

It’s truly surreal to see the legend that is Rick Grimes suited up in grade A military gear and equipped with high tech weaponry. Audiences have watched this character brave the worst of the worst, living in barren, horrifying conditions. It’s both rewarding and strange to watch a new Rick Grimes in such a vastly different world than the one before. Some fans have chimed in on how they long for the show’s more intimate, family-against-the-world style storytelling but for a series that’s been telling new tales for over a decade now, evolution is the key to longevity. 

Grimes uses a military mission to try and forge another escape, but Thorne and a few walkers stop him in his tracks. Thorne reveals that if he had tried to escape, Okafor would’ve found him and came for the ones Rick is looking for as well. She reveals that Okafor somehow knows everything about Rick, and who he’s so desperate to find back out in the world. An angered Rick confronts Okafor in his quarters, who reveals that he read Rick’s letter to Michonne and saw the drawings on the phone screens. Things turn violent as Okafor reveals that he would’ve been the one sent to kill Rick and Michonne if Rick successfully escaped. It’s a tense sequence, wonderfully performed by Lincoln and Tate as they riff off of one another. Okafor also reveals that he was involved with the Atlanta and Los Angeles bombings.

Lincoln chillingly delivers the line, “You don’t get to choose for the world. You don’t get to choose for me…My wife is my choice. My daughter is my choice.” Okafor closes out the argument with, “They’re still with you. But you fight here now. You fight for them. You already made the choice.” This entire scene is a genuinely interesting interaction, with two characters believing so strongly that they are in the right. Afterwards, Rick is assigned to a project involving the opening of a new base.

We arrive back at the moment from the opening, with Rick contemplating using a broken glass to end it all. He decides against it, and then starts writing one final letter to Michonne. Rick writes, “This is my last one. The last letter I write to you that you’ll never see. I love you. I don’t see the dead anymore. Or the ones I lost, or the sun, the sky, or the water…I don’t see you anymore. I just see what’s ahead…I tried. But I failed.” The final letter serves as an almost direct contrast to the heartfelt message read aloud in the series finale of the flagship series. Rick Grimes has been broken. 

Rick begins work on the new base, and a time-lapse showcases the mindless computer and construction work Rick oversees over a long period of time. 

We fast-forward to a helicopter ride with Okafor and Rick. Grimes tells a tragic story about how he awoke one night as a child to find the crops on his family farm burning and his dad wounded with burns. “It may look like the end of the world. But it’s only just the beginning,” his dad told him. The fire would result in a much better harvest the next year, but in the moment things had to burn and be destroyed. It’s intriguing to get new, emotional information about Rick Grimes’ upbringing so many years after we met this iconic character.

Just when we thought we’d seen the gnarliest that this premiere episode had to offer, the helicopter is suddenly struck by a projectile which embeds itself right into Okafor’s stomach. Within seconds, the device explodes, splattering those in the helicopter with his bloody entrails. It’s a sudden, shocking death for a character that was genuinely interesting. 

After the helicopter crashes, Rick and the surviving soldiers scurry from the wreckage, only to be quickly disposed of by a very familiar katana. Just as the assailant is about to slice Rick’s neck, they remove his helmet. The look of shock and emotional catharsis on Rick’s face says it all. The assailant is indeed Michonne, and she has finally found Rick. 

Many fans expected Rick and Michonne’s reunion to not come until at least the third installment of this new series, so to see them together again so soon is truly a treat. For a universe that has historically had issues with overdrawn plotlines and slow pacing, major props to “The Ones Who Live” for delivering on expectations so soon. It seems likely the next episode will follow Michonne’s journey up until episode 1’s final moments, setting up episode 3 as the true reunion episode if things follow suit. 

Overall, “The Ones Who Live” is an exceptionally strong return to “The Walking Dead” world. A healthier budget lends itself to consistently stunning set-pieces and cinematography. Andrew Lincoln continues to wow with his emotional and powerful performance as Rick Grimes. The pacing is brisk, and always keying in audiences with new information and exciting events. It wouldn’t be “The Walking Dead” without walkers, and of course they look great and gnarly as always. One thing above all that will keep this show fresh is its refusal to pull any punches. The offing of Grimes’ arm nearly 5 minutes into our long-awaited return to this iconic character’s journey is the perfect kind of macabre storytelling “The Walking Dead” excels at. 

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Don’t miss the series premiere of “The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live” February 25, 2024 on AMC and AMC+. And watch the brand new full official trailer down below.

Even if you’ve been out of the “Walking Dead” loop for the last several years, you’re likely to get chills watching this official trailer, which feels like a return to classic form for the show.

This could be something really special. Stay tuned for our review, coming soon…

“It’s a really exciting story to tell,” Danai Gurira recently said of the series. Andrew Lincoln teased, “Our ambition is to have some answers.” Gurira also noted of the relationship between the two iconic characters from the main “Walking Dead” series, “This is some crazy love.”

The series presents an epic love story of two characters changed by a changed world. Kept apart by distance. By an unstoppable power. By the ghosts of who they were.

Rick and Michonne are thrown into another world, built on a war against the dead… And ultimately, a war against the living. Can they find each other and who they were in a place and situation unlike any they’ve ever known before? Are they enemies? Lovers? Without each other, are they even alive — or will they find that they, too, are the Walking Dead?

Scott M. Gimple, Chief Content Officer of The Walking Dead Universe, serves as showrunner and executive producer alongside Lincoln, Gurira, Denise Huth and Brian Bockrath.

Speaking of “Walking Dead” spinoff shows, second seasons of both “Dead City” and “Daryl Dixon” are on the way, and the latter show’s second season is subtitled “The Book of Carol.”

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“This project is another step in our second-party strategy, where we work with external partners to provide our horror know-how,” stated Bloober Team CEO Piotr Babieno in a press release. “These are titles that are meant to not only give us financial profit, but are the next steps in achieving our strategy by the end of 2027. We have known our friends from Skybound for a long time and I am sure it will be a successful cooperation.”

For those curious, Skybound, which is owned by The Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman, has plenty of IPs that Bloober Team can use. Aside from the obvious, like The Walking Dead and Invincible, Skybound can also dip into Donny Cates‘ vampire comic Redneck, and the supernatural horror title Outcast by Kirkman and Paul Azaceta. Not to mention that Kirkman also did the story for Chris McKay‘s Renfield, though that might be a little bit tricky, given Universal’s involvement.

Plus, we already have a game based on Renfield with Mega Cat Studios’ Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood.

In the meantime, one hopes that we hear more about Bloober Team’s other big-name project in the new year, though that entirely depends upon Konami.

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Don’t miss the series premiere of “The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live” February 25, 2024 on AMC and AMC+.

The series presents an epic love story of two characters changed by a changed world. Kept apart by distance. By an unstoppable power. By the ghosts of who they were.

Rick and Michonne are thrown into another world, built on a war against the dead… And ultimately, a war against the living. Can they find each other and who they were in a place and situation unlike any they’ve ever known before? Are they enemies? Lovers? Without each other, are they even alive — or will they find that they, too, are the Walking Dead?

“The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live” marks McIntosh’s third appearance in the Walking Dead universe. Along with parent series “The Walking Dead,” the actor also popped up in “The Walking Dead: World Beyond.” Considering Jadis’ villainous turn, expect a massive arc ahead for the character.

Scott M. Gimple, Chief Content Officer of The Walking Dead Universe, serves as showrunner and executive producer alongside Lincoln, Gurira, Denise Huth and Brian Bockrath.

“Jadis has had one of the bigger journeys in the TWDU,” Gimple told EW. “And The Ones Who Live pushes her story into crazier, unexpected places.”

As for what to expect at the start of the spinoff series, McIntosh says, “There will be some of the Jadis that you will recognize from World Beyond. She is in the position of Warrant Officer Jadis Stokes. She is still working with the Civic Republic and the Civic Republic Military. So she’s a committed follower of the CRM, but people are not just their jobs, and the old Jadis that we got to know and who has tried her best but has lost many times is a big driving undercurrent of where she’s coming from.”

In case you missed it, you can watch “The Ones Who Live” teaser here.

Speaking of “Walking Dead” spinoff shows, second seasons of both “Dead City” and “Daryl Dixon” are on the way, and the latter show’s second season is subtitled “The Book of Carol.”

The post “The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live” Image Teases the Return of Pollyanna McIntosh’s Jadis appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Don’t miss the series premiere of “The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live” February 25, 2024 on AMC and AMC+. And watch a brand new sneak peek preview below.

“It’s a really exciting story to tell,” Danai Gurira says in this brand new first look. Andrew Lincoln teases, “Our ambition is to have some answers.” Gurira also notes of the relationship between the two iconic characters from the main “Walking Dead” series, “This is some crazy love.”

The series presents an epic love story of two characters changed by a changed world. Kept apart by distance. By an unstoppable power. By the ghosts of who they were.

Rick and Michonne are thrown into another world, built on a war against the dead… And ultimately, a war against the living. Can they find each other and who they were in a place and situation unlike any they’ve ever known before? Are they enemies? Lovers? Without each other, are they even alive — or will they find that they, too, are the Walking Dead?

Scott M. Gimple, Chief Content Officer of The Walking Dead Universe, serves as showrunner and executive producer alongside Lincoln, Gurira, Denise Huth and Brian Bockrath.

Speaking of “Walking Dead” spinoff shows, second seasons of both “Dead City” and “Daryl Dixon” are on the way, and the latter show’s second season is subtitled “The Book of Carol.”

The post “The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live” Teaser – Rick Grimes Returns in February 2024 appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

As you may recall, the “Daryl Dixon” spinoff had originally been announced as a Daryl/Carol spinoff series, so it’s essentially returning to those original plans in its second season.

“The Book of Carol” opens up on AMC in 2024. Watch the teaser trailer below.

“The Daryl Dixon spinoff series tracks Daryl’s (Norman Reedus) journey across a broken but resilient France as he hopes to find a way back home. As he makes the journey, though, the connections he forms along the way complicate his ultimate plan.”

David Zabel serves as showrunner for the Daryl Dixon show.

The series stars Norman Reedus, Clémence Poésy, Adam Nagaitis, Anne Charrier, Eriq Ebouaney, Laika Blanc Francard, Romain Levi and Louis Puech Scigliuzzi and is executive produced by Scott M. Gimple, as well as Showrunner David Zabel, Norman Reedus, Greg Nicotero, Angela Kang, Brian Bockrath and Daniel Percival.

The post “The Walking Dead: The Book of Carol” Teaser Trailer – Second Season of Daryl Dixon Spinoff Series Revealed appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Additionally, we’ve learned the new series will premiere in February 2024.

Check out the official teaser below, debuted out of NY Comic Con this afternoon.

The series presents an epic love story of two characters changed by a changed world. Kept apart by distance. By an unstoppable power. By the ghosts of who they were.

And yes, Andrew Lincoln and Danai Gurira are both reprising the roles.

Rick and Michonne are thrown into another world, built on a war against the dead… And ultimately, a war against the living. Can they find each other and who they were in a place and situation unlike any they’ve ever known before? Are they enemies? Lovers? Without each other, are they even alive — or will they find that they, too, are the Walking Dead?

Scott M. Gimple, Chief Content Officer of The Walking Dead Universe, serves as showrunner and executive producer alongside Lincoln, Gurira, Denise Huth and Brian Bockrath.

The post “The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live” – Rick Grimes Returns in February 2024! [Video] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

“The upcoming spinoff series tracks Daryl Dixon’s (Norman Reedus) journey across a broken but resilient France as he hopes to find a way back home. As he makes the journey, though, the connections he forms along the way complicate his ultimate plan.”

Check out the premiere episode below, in which “Daryl Dixon’s arrival to France sets off a violent chain of events that inadvertently puts a young boy at the heart of a growing religious movement in danger. Daryl agrees to help shepherd the boy to safety in exchange for help returning to America.

Based on previous plot descriptions, expect to see a lot of stunning set pieces ahead in this offshoot series. “Set after the series conclusion of TWD, the Reedus-led offshoot finds the zombie apocalypse fan favorite transported across the Atlantic to France and a whole new level of a world gone mad. Poesy will play the female lead Isabelle, a member of a progressive religious group, who joins forces with Daryl on a journey across France and finds herself confronting her dark past in Paris. Nagaitis protrays Quinn, a displaced Brit who has become powerful in post-apocalyptic Paris as a black marketeer and the owner of the Demimonde, a sexy underground nightclub.”

David Zabel will serve as showrunner for the Daryl Dixon show.

The series stars Norman Reedus, Clémence Poésy, Adam Nagaitis, Anne Charrier, Eriq Ebouaney, Laika Blanc Francard, Romain Levi and Louis Puech Scigliuzzi and is executive produced by Scott M. Gimple, as well as Showrunner David Zabel, Norman Reedus, Greg Nicotero, Angela Kang, Brian Bockrath and Daniel Percival.

This particular spinoff project had originally been announced as a Daryl/Carol series, and it sounds like Melissa McBride may indeed be returning for the series in a limited capacity.

“The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon” isn’t the only spinoff series available. Fans can also look for “The Walking Dead: Dead City,” which premiered earlier this year. In his review, Noah Levine said of the spinoff, “The real draw of the show seems to come from the setting itself.”

The post “The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon” – Watch the First Episode Online For Free Right Now appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Here are the coolest horror collectibles unveiled this week!

Cujo 4K UHD from Kino Lorber

Cujo will be released on 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray on October 24 via Kino Lorber. Celebrating its 40th anniversary, the 1983 horror film has been newly restored in 4K from the original camera negative with Dolby Vision/HDR.

Based on Stephen King’s 1981 novel, Lewis Teague (The Jewel of the Nile, Cat’s Eye) directs from a script by Barbara Turner (Pollock) and Don Carlos Dunaway. Dee Wallace, Daniel Hugh-Kelly, Danny Pintauro, Ed Lauter, and Christopher Stone star.

Special features include: three audio commentaries (two with Teague and one from film historian Lee Gambin), Dog Days: The Making of Cujo featurette, eight cast and crew interviews, and more.

Red Dragon 4K UHD from Kino Lorber

Red Dragon will be released on 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray on October 24 via Kino Lorber. The 2002 psychological thriller has been newly mastered in 4K from the original camera negative with Dolby Vision/HDR.

Based on Thomas Harris’ 1981 novel, Red Dragon serves as a prequel to The Silence of the Lambs and Hannibal. Brett Ratner (Rush Hour, X-Men: The Last Stand) directs from a script by Ted Tally (The Silence of the Lambs). Anthony Hopkins, Edward Norton, Ralph Fiennes, Harvey Keitel, Emily Watson, Mary-Louise Parker, and Philip Seymour Hoffman star.

Special features include: a commentary by Ratner and Tally, The Making of Red Dragon, A Director’s Journey, Anthony Hopkins: Lecter and I, Inside the Mind of a Serial Killer, deleted/extended scenes, Ratner’s student film, and more.

My Bloody Valentine & Maximum Overdrive Mugs from Gutter Garbs

Horror fans are spoiled by a constant deluge of horror collectibles these days, as evidenced by this column every week, but I’m always impressed when a company does something outside of the norm — like Gutter Garbs’s new ceramic mugs.

The line is launching with My Bloody Valentine’s Harry Warden and the Maximum Overdrive truck, which are expected to ship in late November/early December.

My Bloody Valentine measures 7.1×4.7×4.7″ and has a 21.5-ounce capacity. Maximum Overdrive measures 5.9×4.3×4.3″ and has a 27.5-ounce capacity. They’re $20 each.

The Black Phone & Cocaine Bear 4K UHDs from Universal

The Black Phone and Cocaine Bear inexplicably didn’t receive 4K Ultra HD editions when their respective Blu-rays dropped, but Universal is upgrading both titles on September 19.

Based on a short story by Joe Hill, The Black Phone is directed by Scott Derrickson (Sinister, Doctor Strange) from a script he penned with writing partner C. Robert Cargill. Ethan Hawke, Mason Thames, Madeleine McGraw, Jeremy Davies, and James Ransone star. Blumhouse produces.

Cocaine Bear is directed by Elizabeth Banks (Pitch Perfect 2) and written by Jimmy Warden (The Babysitter: Killer Queen). Keri Russell, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Christian Convery, Alden Ehrenreich, Brooklynn Prince, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Margo Martindale, and Ray Liotta star.

Existing special features will be included for both titles, including audio commentaries, making-of featurettes, deleted scenes, and more.

The Walking Dead: The Complete Collection Blu-ray from Lionsgate

The Walking Dead: The Complete Collection will be released on Blu-ray (with Digital) on October 17 via Lionsgate. If you didn’t collect the individual seasons, this is a convenient way to get all 177 episodes for only $149.99.

The 54-disc box set features artwork by Oliver Barrett. Based on the comic by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore, and Charlie Adlard, the AMC series ran for 11 seasons between 2010 and 2022.

The Walking Dead: Making of the Final Season is included along with all the bonus content (commentaries, featurettes, deleted scenes, and more) from the previous individual season releases.

For more merch madness, peruse the Killer Collectibles archives. You can also visit Broke Horror Fan.

The post 5 of This Week’s Coolest Horror Collectibles Including a Unique ‘My Bloody Valentine’ Coffee Mug appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Additionally, you’ll find another short teaser trailer below.

“Daryl Dixon” brings Norman Reedus back to AMC & AMC+ on September 10, 2023.

“The upcoming spinoff series tracks Daryl Dixon’s (Norman Reedus) journey across a broken but resilient France as he hopes to find a way back home. As he makes the journey, though, the connections he forms along the way complicate his ultimate plan.”

David Zabel will serve as showrunner for the Daryl Dixon show.

The series stars Norman Reedus, Clémence Poésy, Adam Nagaitis, Anne Charrier, Eriq Ebouaney, Laika Blanc Francard, Romain Levi and Louis Puech Scigliuzzi and is executive produced by Scott M. Gimple, as well as Showrunner David Zabel, Norman Reedus, Greg Nicotero, Angela Kang, Brian Bockrath and Daniel Percival.

This particular spinoff project had originally been announced as a Daryl/Carol series, and it sounds like Melissa McBride may indeed be returning for the series in a limited capacity.

The post “The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon” – Norman Reedus Takes Center Stage on Two New Posters appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

According to IGN, in what seems like a mix of the AMC series and the multiple choice mechanic from Telltale’s The Walking Dead, players will visit key locations from the show as Grimes. At certain points during your play, you will be asked to make choices that will potentially determine who lives and who dies, thereby altering the following events and straying from the show’s storyline.

Alongside Rick, The Walking Dead: Destinies will feature over a dozen characters from the AMC series such as Shane, Michonne, Carol, and Daryl, with character will have their own unique abilities. Players will also have to manage their resources, including the limited amount of weapons and ammo available to them.

No release date for The Walking Dead: Destinies has been announced.

The post Carve Your Own Path as Rick Grimes in ‘The Walking Dead: Destinies’ [Trailer] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

On the other hand, this also means that it’s incredibly difficult for a title to stand out among other zombie games, as we’ve seen nearly every variation of an undead apocalypse since the early days of Zombies Ate My Neighbors. And with such an oversaturated market, it makes sense that players might be overly critical of a good game that doesn’t quite live up to their lofty expectations.

I’d argue that Bend Studio’s Days Gone is one such title, with the game being accused of being one of the worst PlayStation exclusives in recent memory despite featuring one of the only creative uses of a horror-centric open world in years. And now that enough time has passed that the pre-release hype is no longer a factor, I’d like to take a look back on this over-hated gem and dive into exactly why I think it deserves more love.

The story of Days Gone began in early 2015, with Bend Studio (mostly known for the underrated Syphon Filter games) wanting to try their hand at their first original IP since the 90s. Inspired by popular TV shows like The Walking Dead and Sons of Anarchy, the development team settled on a project that would explore a zombie apocalypse through the eyes of badass bikers.

Our first glimpse of the title’s high-octane thrills occurred in 2016 when Sony released a ten-minute long teaser. This in-engine trailer highlighted the game’s horde mechanics, featuring a character modeled after Sam Witwer facing off against a World-War-Z-inspired onslaught of literal hundreds of undead that were being rendered and subsequently dispatched in real time. Unfortunately, this brief little tease would ultimately have a hand in the game’s eventual mixed reception, showcasing the absolute highlight of the Days Gone experience without making it clear that this was just one part of the game. This led to unrealistic expectations that would only really be shattered when the game was finally released in 2019.

In the finished game, players take on the role of biker and bounty hunter Deacon St. John as he embarks on a post-apocalyptic quest to find his wife in a world overrun by zombie-like “freakers.” Along the way, Deacon has to deal with insane cultists, armed militia and undead nests as he explores the Pacific Northwest on a customizable motorcycle.

While this sounds like a highly entertaining premise on paper, the critical reaction wasn’t exactly what Bend was hoping for. In general, most media outlets were unimpressed with the game’s main story, calling it clichéd and unexciting while also complaining that it intentionally left some plotlines in the air in the hopes of resolving them in a potential sequel. Reviewers also lambasted the title’s poor technical performance and inconvenient mechanics, like how your motorcycle needs constant maintenance and using fast travel requires clearing out nests. While very few reviewers actively accused Days Gone of being a genuinely bad game, the criticism was heavy enough that the title garnered a reputation as a massive failure.

Many of these complaints are justified, though I’d argue that the only possible deal-breaker here is the writing. The game expects you to care about unremarkable characters that you’ve undoubtedly seen before in several other post-apocalyptic yarns and then presents you with cringe-inducing situations like that awful wedding flashback. While it’s hard not to like Deacon’s anti-authoritarian persona, it’s also clear that his entire character was lifted from Norman Reedus’ take on The Walking Dead’s Daryl Dixon.

That being said, I believe Days Gone tapped into something special through its use of legitimately challenging exploration. Personally, I adored it when I ran out of gas in the middle of a Freaker-infested highway and had to desperately scrounge for fuel while hiding from an ever-growing horde. And while I agree that this can get annoying in the early game when your bike is still underpowered, I’d argue that the title’s naturally occurring moments of emergent horror more than make up for the poorly scripted drama. And don’t even get me started on the strangely addictive thrills of caring for your bike like a noble steed and slowly upgrading it throughout the course of the game!

In all honesty, the biggest mistake the developers made was locking players out of some of the best parts of the game by not introducing some of the best mechanics until late into the campaign. I mean, it says a lot about the experience that by the time the story expected me to take on my first horde (in what should have been a cathartic highlight of the experience), I had already dispatched a handful of them on my own.

I have fond memories of cruising through the wilderness and choosing to explore abandoned settlements instead of following the main story of Days Gone, but I admit that the experience would have benefited from a bigger focus on gameplay instead of drama. After all, the mechanical aspects of the title are solid, it’s just the presentation that needed some work.

This is also why I find the news of an upcoming film adaptation of Days Gone so baffling, as almost all of the game’s qualities can’t really be translated to a non-interactive medium. To me, having to sit through two hours of biker talk and familiar zombie slaying just sounds like a rehash of the worst parts of the game, especially if they end up replacing Sam Witwer with Sam Heughan as Deacon.

I can’t really blame you if you’re still not convinced to give Days Gone another shot – I only barely got through the heavily scripted opening hours myself – but I still think that it’s unfair to completely dismiss the whole experience based on a few blemishes. That’s why it’s so frustrating that we’ll never see a proper sequel, as almost all of these issues could have been addressed in the future if Sony wasn’t so obsessed with aggregated review scores.

Fortunately, the game runs better than ever now that it’s available on PC and has seen a plethora of patches and updates, so I’d recommend giving the Freaker apocalypse another chance and deciding for yourself if these roads are worth revisiting.

The post The Freaker Apocalypse: Why ‘Days Gone’ Is a Much Better Zombie Game Than It Was Given Credit For appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Each day will present a new Personal Goal, such as killing enemies using ranged weapons or dismembering the infected with the player being rewarded with a unique Comic Cover – mashing up the aesthetic of Dying Light 2 with The Walking Dead – that can be gathered by players in-game. Each collectible, featuring stylized art from famed Polish artists Marek Oleksicki and Łukasz Owdziej, is made available only on a specific day, as it is assigned to a corresponding Personal Goal. Players who manage to get all 7 Comic Covers can try to reach the Collection Goal. Those who complete it will claim The Walking Dead memento weapon charm as a prize.

That’s not all. You’ll be able to snag Negan’s infamous barbed wire bat Lucille. This weapon can only be won by the most ruthless players. To get the item with a blueprint, you need to complete the Weekly Goal by killing 850 enemies in total throughout the event. And, for those diehards, if you prove themselves to be truly ferocious and slay 160 million enemies together, the Global Goal will be fulfilled and everyone will get Rick’s Hat as a reward.

For those seeking to complete the look, The Walking Dead Bundle is available for purchase for $7.99USD,  offering Rick Grimes’ Outfit as well as The Walking Dead Paraglider for added flavor. But if iconic weapons are what you’re after, this bundle will also meet your needs, and then some. Not only will you get Lucille, but Michonne’s Katana, and Negan’s Knife. All three weapons are available with their blueprints.

Dying Light 2 is available now for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series, Xbox One, and PC via Steam and Epic Games Store.

The post ‘Dying Light 2’ Celebrates 20 Years of ‘The Walking Dead’ Comics With New Event [Trailer] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

At the start, Maggie, Negan, Perlie (Gaius Charles), and Ginny (Mahina Napoleon) all reconvene in a vacant lot, the narratives all converging as one. Last episode, it was revealed that Ginny uncovered that Maggie was lying about the terms of the deal to get Hershel back from the Croat (Željko Ivanek). Negan is frustrated that Ginny has willingly thrown herself into danger by entering New York City, despite Maggie setting her up with shelter at The Bricks.

In a moment that’s been building up all season, Ginny finally begins to speak after five straight episodes of staying mute. Shockingly, Negan cuts her off as he is still angered by her insistence on finding him in the perilous post-apocalypse New York City. Negan reveals to Ginny that the reason he sought to protect her was because he in fact was the killer of her father. With this devastating admission, it becomes clear that Negan has ruined yet another family. In this specific case, he’s done his best to provide protection and safety for the child of his victim as opposed to leaving her to fend for herself without a father.

After this horrifying revelation, Ginny storms off and Perlie is tasked with returning her back to The Bricks. While certainly occurring a bit too late in the narrative, this reveal regarding Ginny’s connection to Negan helps to strengthen the former-villain’s reasoning for aggressively protecting the young girl. Meanwhile, Maggie is dead-set on bringing Negan to the Croat so they can complete the deal and bring Hershel back home. Up until now, Negan still believes Maggie has only brought him along to help deal with The Croat, and not as a bargaining chip. 

As they approach the exchange point, Negan stops to ponder what Ginny may have been trying to say when he cut her off. Negan, no stranger to people trying to back stab him, immediately connects the dots that Ginny was almost certainly going to reveal to him that Maggie has been lying this whole time. Once Negan realizes what’s really happening, Maggie catches on quick that he knows that the jig is up. 

What follows next is a fight scene that’s been over 5 years in the making. Negan makes a mad dash for survival as Maggie chases him down on top of a catwalk that overlooks a scrambling horde of the undead. The duo jump from platform to platform, narrowly avoiding a plunge into the clawing hands below. The two survivors battle it out as the undead watch on, years of internal fury finally bubbling up to the surface. 

“Maybe some part of you always wanted it to end this way,” Negan says. “The fact is, Maggie, it doesn’t matter what excuses I give you, or how many apologies I offer. You can’t get over it. And you shouldn’t.” This line, expertly delivered by Jeffrey Dean Morgan, encompasses everything about Negan’s character at this state in the series. He’s aware of the pain he’s caused, and he never expects Maggie to forgive him for that pain. 

Negan continues to plead for Maggie to stop, but her rage has overtaken any sensibility. As a longtime fan of the series, it’s quite cathartic to watch these two “Walking Dead” legends finally battle it out fist to fist. Maggie manages to land a gruesome stab into Negan’s shoulder, an injury that doesn’t even scratch the surface of fair payback for what he did to Glenn. They continue to battle, but years of survival skills make the two both formidable foes. The Croat and the Barazi arrive just in time, with Negan giving up on his defense against Maggie and surrendering to his former-Savior companion. 

The trade-off with Negan and Maggie occurs in a bank vault. The air is tense, with Maggie keeping a knife to Negan’s neck. He lowers it for her, and willingly walks to The Croat as Hershel (Logan Kim) passes by towards Maggie. The reunion between Maggie and Hershel doesn’t exactly get the waterworks flowing, which most likely can be attributed to the fact that as an audience we’ve received very minimal screen time between Cohan and Kim until this point.

In the aftermath of this trade-off, we get one of the episode’s strongest scenes. As opposed to this being a heartfelt and eye-watering reunion, Hershel is frustrated and upset with his mother. He accuses her of being more concerned with getting revenge on Negan than actually caring for the well-being of her own son. 

It’s a very well written exchange, and newcomer Logan Kim perfectly embodies the character of Hershel in the aftermath of this traumatic kidnapping. Hopefully with “Dead City” Season 2, there will be more scenes between Maggie and Hershel, something that greatly would’ve enhanced this first season. 

As Maggie ponders if she made the right decision throwing Negan to the wolves in front of her son, she looks up to see the decaying Statue of Liberty. A visual reminder of the landmark Negan was most excited to see when they decided to embark on this adventure into the city. 

After the Croat excitingly hands off Negan to his superior Dama (and then is hilariously dismissed), the long-play for “The Walking Dead: Dead City” is revealed. Dama (Lisa Emery) desperately wanted Negan under her wing after Croat told her the stories about the intense grasp he had over the Savior army. Dama is looking for someone with that exact skillset to take on leadership among the dilapidated city. Dama believes that with Negan’s help the Barazi would be able to achieve the same ruling fist as the Saviors but on a much larger scale. 

Negan, obviously mostly reformed from his savior ways, is hesitant to take the deal, but Dama reveals she spent ample time with young Hershel and heard the stories of his mom and what Negan did to their family (this sequence is chillingly intercut with Maggie finding a drawing of Dama that Hershel drew in captivity). She presents a box to Negan and within it is one of Hershel’s toes! If Negan doesn’t comply with her demands, Dama will return to invoke more suffering on Hershel. Negan is completely trapped, with no choice but to become the man he once was to prevent the suffering of a family he has already ruined. 

Meanwhile, with Ginny returned to safety and Perlie back at the New Babylon, he is interrogated by the leader of the town. Perlie lies and says he killed Negan, completing the mission he was sent into the city for. The leader can see through his lies and presses him to expand on all of the methane that he encountered at the Croat’s base of operations. She’s clearly aware of the Barazi’s stockpile of resources, and with multiple factions in New York City aiming to take control, she sees this as a very important development. This scene further establishes and lays a ground plan for the kinds of conflicts that “Dead City” Season 2 will most likely expand on. 

Other random highlights from the episode include a heartfelt interaction between Maggie and Negan, as she talks about how she always wanted to go to the Macy’s in New York City to see Santa. Later on in the episode, The Croat reminisces with Negan about what actually went down during their infamous attack at (assumingly) Oceanside that was never fully explored in the main series. The Croat describes in gruesome detail the moment Negan let him use Lucille to punish a survivor, all while Negan listens on with angered disgust. 

The pre-airing announcement that “Dead City” was coming back for a second season certainly alleviated a lot of responsibility from this episode to tie up loose ends. Although, “Doma Smo” still delivered closure on several plotlines that had been winding their way through the entire season, with answers about Ginny’s connection to Negan, figuring out what the Croat wanted, and reuniting Maggie with her son. While the show had its ups and downs particularly in the middle of the season, it managed to tell a consistently interesting and entertaining “Walking Dead” style story set amongst the ruins of New York City. With Season 2, hopefully the series can continue to build on these newly established characters and create a strong, developed foundation for this extension of “The Walking Dead” world. 

“I’m gonna finish it, so that I can just let it go.” Maggie promises to Hershel. 

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