The Walking Dead franchise’s chief content officer, Scott M. Gimple, addresses the zombie franchise’s future. Based on the Robert Kirkman comic series, the hit AMC horror series premiered in 2010, following a group of survivors led by Andrew Lincoln’s Rick Grimes as they struggle to hold onto their humanity as the world falls to a zombie apocalypse. The Walking Dead ended in 2022 with season 11, but the universe has lived on in the form of a variety of spinoffs, incuding The Ones Who Live, Daryl Dixon, and Dead City, the latter two of which have new seasons coming out.

In a recent interview with SFX magazine (via GamesRadar+), Gimple reveals that he thinks The Walking Dead could continue through to 2040 and potentially beyond. The writer and producer explains that what it comes down to is the franchise’s roster of compelling existing characters, any number of whom could be explored in a future series or season. Check out Gimple’s comment below:

“I do see that potential. The Walking Dead is about compelling characters in an unforgiving world, but one that is not without hope. Because the stakes are so high, the choices these characters make define them and change them, one way or another. That’s the stuff of a great story. And the scariness, the action, the emotion, the discovery… That can go on and on, as long as we have some terrific characters.

“There are characters from every Walking Dead series that I would love to tell stories with again, some picking up from the last time we saw them, maybe seeing some after a lot of time has passed. Robert Kirkman created indelible, addictive characters and we’ve always just tried to keep pace with him.”

What This Means For The Walking Dead

What Shows Are On The Horizon

Though spinoffs Fear the Walking Dead and The Walking Dead: World Beyond have concluded, there remain several with no end in sight, and others that remain a question mark. The Walking Dead: Dead City season 2 is next up on the release schedule, with a premiere set for May 4, but Daryl Dixon is also confirmed to return for season 3 after its sophomore outing last fall. Gimple’s comment seemingly affirms that these upcoming seasons may not be the end for these two shows.

The positive reception to The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live has also raised questions about that show’s future. Though presented as a limited series and as a way to wrap up the stories of Lincoln’s Rick and Danai Gurira’s Michonne, Gimple has previously teased that The Ones Who Live season 2 could be on the way, or that Rick and Michonne could return in another form. Gimple also recently shared with The Direct that he’s interested in reviving anthology series Tales of the Walking Dead.

Our Take On The Walking Dead Franchise’s Future

Will It Last Another 15 Years?

The problem with any franchise that continues for decades with multiple spinoffs is that franchise fatigue can set in for audiences. Sometimes, there can be too much of a good thing. Though The Walking Dead‘s heyday may be over, the spinoffs are still successful in terms of viewership, suggesting there is still audience interest in this zombie-infested world and these characters.

When The Ones Who Live premiered in 2024, it was watched by three million people, the biggest premiere night audience for a new AMC series in six years.

The recent spinoffs have suggested that Gimple and company aren’t afraid to take storytelling risks and push the franchise into new directions, and this willingness to take chances could be crucial to The Walking Dead‘s future. Sooner or later, locations, characters, and premises get old, but introducing new ideas can help to keep things feeling fresh. It remains to be seen whether The Walking Dead will last another 15 years, but Gimple is clearly optimistic.