This weekend is a particularly exciting one for hardcore fans of nerd culture. Because the next few days will be the home for San Deigo Comic-Con, which will premiere new and exciting footage and information for popular TV and film projects. One of the properties that never disappoints in this regard is AMC's massively popular The Walking Dead, which usually premiers the first trailer for new seasons at SDCC. And while the Walking Dead panel hasn't occurred yet, the apocalyptic drama is already delivering audiences something special: an epic new poster, complete with a date for Season 8's premiere: October 22nd. Check it out.
Did anyone else just get chills?
This new poster is probably the most epic and expansive one of The Walking Dead's long tenure. While most of the posters revolve around Rick Grimes and the season's current location, this new one features every major character in the current roster. Let's break down exactly what we're seeing.
With All Out War just ahead for The Walking Dead, we see the leaders of the two opposing factions, looking equally determined and badass. Both Negan and Rick are ruthless warriors and leaders in their own right, and it's awesome to see them as book ends for Season 8's poster.
Filling in the space between Negan and Rick is the fantastic ensemble of The Walking Dead, including characters from five different groups of survivors. Denizens from The Kingdom, The Hilltop, Alexandria, The Sanctuary, and even Jadis from the Scavengers are present, which shows just how expansive and wide reaching the show has become in the past two seasons. There are a ton of moving pieces in the game for Apocalyptic dominance, and presumably anything can happen in the war to come.
While the main group's inclusion in the poster isn't all that surprising, it's the antagonistic survivors being present that is the most unique. The always slimy Gregory from The Hilltop has made it onto the poster, after fleeing his community with Simon (also pictured- the actor is now a series regular), ahead of the Battle for Alexandria. He's presumably selling the other survivors down the river, including The Hilltop.
Another aspect of this poster that is startling is how Eugene is now on the villain side of things. The group's former ally was placed very close to Negan, showing how far he's fallen since being taken by The Saviors following Rosita's attempt to assassinate Negan. And while fan hatred for the character has pushed actor Josh McDermitt off of social media, Eugene's adoption into The Saviors is pretty fascinating. The last time we saw a hero go south was Shane back in Season 2, so this is a great way to keep both the character and the overall series feeling fresh.
The Walking Dead will return to AMC on October 22nd. In the meantime, check out our summer premiere list to plan your next binge watch.
