The One Person Who Actually Knows How The Walking Dead Ends
For a while, it seemed like "The Walking Dead" was a show that could go on for many more years to come. A rotating cast of characters has come and gone throughout the seasons, with even Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) succumbing to capture by enemy forces. His fate will undoubtedly come to light in the trilogy of movies set to debut on AMC in the coming years.
Even if the main series comes to an end, there are still ways for this universe to live on. "Fear the Walking Dead" and "The Walking Dead: World Beyond" will keep people invested, and there are plenty of other spinoffs on the way, including one that will follow Daryl (Norman Reedus) and Carol (Melissa McBride) in their continuing adventures in the apocalypse. But still, it's hard not to get sentimental over a show ending that's been on the air for over a decade at this point.
All good things must come to a close eventually, and undoubtedly, fans will wait on bated breath as each remaining episode comes out to see how this grand saga unfolds. While most of us have to be patient, there's one person at least who knows where everything will lead to — showrunner Angela Kang.
Angela Kang says a 'roadmap is firmly in place'
"The Walking Dead" comic books ran from 2003 to 2019. Creator Robert Kirkman said he wanted to finish the story on his own terms (via ComicBook.com), but nothing is saying the last comic will have the same story as the show. After all, the AMC series hasn't been afraid of forging its own path and changing things over the years, so the same could easily apply to the final batch of episodes. And if you've read the comics, you know the show can't end the same way at this point. Anything is possible, and while the journey may still be up in the air, Angela Kang knows precisely where all this leads to.
She's told her plan to others behind the scenes at AMC, and it sounds like everyone is happy with the finale; as Kang told Insider, "We pitched it all out to AMC, and everybody's on board. As we get into individual episodes, we're still kind of refining and mapping as we change things we've planned a little bit. But the roadmap is firmly in place at this point." It sounds as though individual episodes can still change moving forward. Still, the good thing is the writers know exactly where everyone needs to end up to deliver an emotionally satisfying finale to "The Walking Dead."
Kang has led her writers' room to some of the best stories throughout the show's run, so if anyone can stick the landing, it's her. She goes on to say, "We really hope that we tell a story that entertains people along the way, that helps them feel things." One way or the other, fans will absolutely feel things for the finale. The end begins on August 22, 2021, when Season 11 premieres on AMC.