The 2013 Paley Fest kicked off its programming on Friday night with a Walking Dead panel moderated by Talking Dead host Chris Hardwick. The cast and crew took the stage for the 30th anniversary of the event to let fans and press know what the future of the hit series will bring. The biggest takeaway from the panel came with Robert Kirkman’s view of Carl’s journey through the series:
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Carl really is one of my favourite aspects of the comic and the show … Watching this kid grow and change and evolve the way that he has and go from this kid who’s almost a burden to this kid who’s now a child soldier is just this really cool exploration of the world of The Walking Dead, seeing how people grow or change over time.
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Anyone who listens to our Walking Dead podcast knows that we personally believe the best episodes of the AMC series are those that place great character first over action. Well, I’d like to think that the creators of the series listen to our show, because it seems they’ve finally decided to inject more character development into season four.:
[callout] “I think there may be a wee bit less of the run and gun. And [we’ll] get a little more into some of our characters,” Executive Producer Greg Nicotero told EW. “The challenge with a show like this, when you have a big ensemble, is you don’t want any of the characters to get lost; it’s important that we know what Carol’s story is and that we know what Beth’s story is. And when you’re trying to service a lot of characters, it becomes challenging. Watching the first season ofWalking Dead and seeing how grounded it was, that’s really important to all of us. Andy Lincoln and I spent a lot of time going through the scripts and making sure we feel that they’re grounded. Because that’s what keeps our audience coming back. The walkers and the gore and the action and stuff, that’s fun, that’s the popcorn part of it. But if you don’t have characters that people are invested in, you lose your audience.”[/callout]
Andrew Lincoln assured everyone that Rick’s descent into madness won’t last very long, which shouldn’t surprise anyone who’s read the graphic novel. In the comic book series, Rick’s tour of insanity is very brief and the conclusion is nicely handled. Meanwhile Norman Reedus addressed the question about whether or not Daryl would ever take over as leader. His response was simple: “I don’t think he wants to be the leader in any way.”
Perhaps the biggest news of the night was the announcement that Andrea does not have feelings for The Governor anymore! I know many fans of the series have become increasingly frustrated with Andrea and her relationship with season three’s villain, and now everyone can breathe a sign of relief. Laurie Holden replied: “I think she thinks The Governor is disgusting at this point. She didn’t sleep with him because she was having a weak moment. She slept with him because she had every intention of doing what Carol suggested. But it’s not easy to just slit someone’s throat when they’re sleeping”.
The entire panel is now available on Hulu all week for US residents. Don’t forget to tune into our Walking Dead Podcast. Enjoy!
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