Since its inception in 2003, The Walking Dead comic book series has enthralled fans with its rich storytelling and knack for creating characters that are immediatley compelling, whichever side of the moral spectrum they hail from. At 158 issues strong, the franchise shows no sign of slowing down either, and according to AMC network president Josh Sapan, the same can also be said for the live-action TV series.
Fast approaching its seventh season on the airwaves, Sapan spoke recently at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia Conference – as relayed by The Wrap – confirming that the network has no plans to call time on The Walking Dead nor its spinoff Fear The Walking Dead anytime soon.
As a matter of fact, the executive claimed that the core, flagship series has “an incredibly long life left in it” and could run for “many, many more years.” Citing Star Trek as a point of reference, Sapan was bullish in his future predictions for The Walking Dead, pointing to how the sci-fi great diversified its lineup with a multitude of spinoffs under the one single, main point of attraction.
“[Star Trek] came and went three times,” Sapan said, according to The Wrap. “We do think that we have a franchise [in The Walking Dead and Fear the Walking Dead] that is one of the rare franchises that you occasionally come across in what we do for a living.”
The big question now is, will AMC branch off even further to jump-start character-driven spinoffs? Perhaps for those with enough cache with fans like, say, Daryl Dixon – providing the cult hero survives the season 7 premiere, that is.
At long last, The Walking Dead season 7 will shuffle onto the airwaves on October 23. If you’re looking to get fully caught up on all the flesh-munching action, along with the human drama brimming beneath the undead surface, We Got This Covered is giving away a Blu-ray copy of season 6 as our latest contest.