'The Walking Dead' Season 8 Plot News, Air Date: New Photo Features Rick and Maggie Preparing for 'All Out War'

By Denise See, Christian Post Contributor Thursday, July 20, 2017

Fans are gearing up for "The Walking Dead" season 8, which will see Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) and his allies battling Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) and his supporters.

It has been a long time coming for Rick, who spent most of the previous season with his tail between his legs. Negan really did some damage to his ego, but fans will be happy to know that the leader of the Alexandrian survivors is ready to take back his power.

An exclusive photo published by Entertainment Weekly featured an armed Rick and Maggie (Lauren Cohan) looking intently at each other as they prepare for war. The Alexandrians have the members of the Hilltop by their side, as well as the backing of Ezekiel (Khary Payton) and the Kingdom.

Showrunner Scott M. Gimple, who previously teased of a faster pace compared to that of the past seasons, told the publication that the upcoming cycle will move in on "All Out War" territory. For those who are unaware, "All Out War" is an important arc from "The Walking Dead" comic book series.

"We have basically set the stage for All Out War," Gimple revealed. He then added: "Negan's said it, everybody has seen they're in it. It will play out quickly and propulsively and attentively and will shift around the focus quite a bit between the different places and battlegrounds and characters and communities."

The season 8 trailer will be shown at the San Diego Comic-Con on Friday, July 21. It is also expected that more details about the new season will be revealed at the panel.

In other news, production on "The Walking Dead" season 8 was halted for five days after stuntman John Bernecker died on set while performing a fight scene with actor Austin Amelio. Production has picked back up, though, according to Deadline. It is believed that there has not been a stunt-related death in the United States in 17 years.

"The Walking Dead" season 8 premieres on Oct. 22 at 9 p.m. EDT on AMC.