Why The Walking Dead Universe Doesn’t Want a Marvel-Like Endgame

Over the last 14 years, Walking Dead chief content officer Scott Gimple has built one of the most formidable franchises in TV, encompassing several projects and spinoffs, including the latest entry, The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live. And Gimple has made it clear that he doesn’t want things to end in a snap.

During the TCA winter tour in February, Gimple talked about wanting the franchise’s universe to one day have a crossover event. With Marvel’s 2019 film Avengers: Endgame being one of the most successful crossovers ever, ADWEEK recently asked Gimple what he’d want from his own hypothetical Walking Dead: Endgame.

Gimple explained the franchise would take a different approach.

“Endgame was really the end of a massive era for Marvel, and I’m not looking to end an era here. I want to keep going,” Gimple told ADWEEK. “[Walking Dead comic creator] Robert Kirkman pitched the zombie movie that never ends. I do not want this to end.”

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is undoubtedly one of the most successful entertainment franchises ever; however, with its decades of interlocking films and stories, critics and viewers have complained that the MCU can be overwhelming, especially for new fans.

In Gimple’s case, he’d want any Walking Dead crossover to be accessible to all viewers.

“If we get to do that big crossover, your enjoyment shouldn’t be dependent on knowing the ins and outs of the last 14 years,” Gimple said. “If you do know them, I think you’ll get something extra. I just want to invite everybody to every entertainment that we create.”

Keep on Walking

If Gimple is leading up to a crossover event, he’s on the right track with The Ones Who Live.

The new six-episode series bringing Andrew Lincoln’s Rick Grimes and Danai Gurira’s Michonne back together for an epic zombie love story is already a hit with viewers, delivering nearly 3 million premiere night viewers in Nielsen live+3 ratings, the biggest premiere night audience for a new AMC series in six years.

With the rise in streaming and OTT, TV has drastically changed since the Rick Grimes-centered project was originally announced in 2018, even down to the marketing.

“The core streaming community, once they have awareness of something and lean in, they want it right away,” said Dan McDermott, president of entertainment and AMC Studios. “So you wouldn’t market [a show] to a streaming platform two or three weeks out because people can’t get online right away and watch.”

Despite the industry changes, McDermott told ADWEEK the series is coming out at the “perfect time.”

“[Andrew Lincoln and Danai Gurira] have been away from the universe for long enough that there’s a real rabid enthusiasm to see where they are, how they’re going to connect and what’s going to happen from there,” McDermott said.

The numbers appear to support McDermott’s assessment. In addition to the premiere viewership, the pilot episode also led to the biggest day for direct-to-consumer signups in AMC+ history and was the most-watched episode of any show on the platform, according to AMC.

“It’s been a long journey, and to have landed it, that does feel incredible,” Gimple said about the series finally hitting the air.

The franchise that lives

In addition to The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live, Gimple has several projects on the way, including a new season of The Walking Dead: Dead City, a series with Lauren Cohan’s Maggie and Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s Negan teaming up in New York, and more seasons of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, which features Norman Reedus’ Daryl taking on zombies in the French countryside.

There’s also “a whole host of things” coming if Gimple gets his way.

“I present the possibilities and, of course, AMC ultimately makes the final decision,” Gimple said. “We’ve been in the lab, we’re ready to rock, and there are some pretty cool things that should be coming.”

Regarding the future of the franchise, McDermott explained The Walking Dead’s zombie apocalypse will live on at AMC.

“We will continue to tell stories in this universe for as long as the fans continue to express their amazing and enthusiastic interest,” McDermott said. “We’re gonna continue to do what’s best to keep people engaged and watching.”