The past few weeks have been an exciting time for avid TV fans. Fall premieres have ended the long hiatus between nwe seasons, allowing fans to return to their favorite weekly adventures on the small screen. But there are a few shows that are sitting on their season premiere, including AMC's massively popular series The Walking Dead. The apocalyptic drama is just weeks away from its whopping eighth season, and some fans may be falling off or losing interest in Rick Grimes' battle for survival. But it looks like the folks behind TWD are cognizant of this possibility, and are attempting to change things up in Season 8. Producer/director Greg Nicotero recently spoke to this, teasing how visually different Season 8 will be than its predecessors.
We've been going for evocative frames. That does make it harder on episodes that are huge in scale, but we're constantly aware of what we've done in the past. We know that we have to up our game for the show. It's been eight years and we don't want people to think the show is suffering from the fatigue that comes with being on the air for eight years.
Well, this should be a relief for Walking Dead fans who are worried about the show losing its magic as it gets deeper into its long tenure. Greg Nictero's comments at NY Comic-Con (courtesy of Polygon) proves that the crew is paying attention to what its done in the past, and teases how the series can change in order to keep things fresh.
It should be interesting to see how The Walking Dead manages to craft new visuals for the series. Perhaps these evocative frames will be used to differentiate the various communities currently at play. It would be awesome if the camera work in The Sanctuary was different from the visuals used in Alexandria, or the Hilltop, and so on. Since there are six groups in the mix at this point of TWD, it would also help the viewers distinguish the various locations.
And perhaps the most obvious (and mysterious) way that The Walking Dead is changing things is up is the potential time jump being set up. The Season 8 trailer that debuted at San Diego Comic-Con this summer dropped a bomb on the fandom. The final shot of the trailer saw an older and more grey Rick Grimes wake up, all but confirming that a jump in time would be happening this season.
It's currently unclear how this device will function within The Walking Dead. Will there be Lost-esque flash forwards? Or will TWD pull a Better Call Saul and give glimpses into the future in premiere and finale episodes? We'll just have to wait and see.
The Walking Dead will return for Season 8 October 22nd on AMC. In the meantime, check out our fall premiere list to plan your next binge watch.
