The first rule of surviving an urban zombie apocalypse is to barricade yourself on the upper floors of a skyscraper. But here’s the second rule: Zombies don’t follow rules.
On Tuesday, ADWEEK was on hand to watch walkers run… uh, walk rampant at the top of the Empire State Building as part of a New York City takeover orchestrated by the big brains at AMC Networks. The multi-day campaign leads into the Season 2 premiere of The Walking Dead: Dead City on May 4 at 9 p.m.
One of several spin-offs to rise from the ashes of The Walking Dead mothership series—which went to its great reward in 2022—Dead City relocates fan favorites Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Lauren Cohan, and Lucille to the wasteland formerly known as Manhattan.
But before those pesky walkers showed up atop the Empire State, the show’s cast and current franchise mastermind Scott M. Gimple took photos against the backdrop of a living, breathing Big Apple.
And the Empire State Building wasn’t their only stop. Before pulling up to the high-rise that kept Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan up all night, the Walkers got their nosh on at a Penn Station-adjacent PopUp Bagels spot, and subsequent landmark visits included Radio City Music Hall and Citi Field ahead of the match-up between the Mets and the Arizona Diamondbacks.
“It’s beyond thrilling,” Gimple tells ADWEEK about the Tuesday takeover. “I grew up in New Jersey and kicked around the city as a kid, and there were things I saw that I’ve remembered my whole life.”