Robert Kirkman On The Walking Dead’s New Showrunner

By Brent McKnight | Updated

This article is more than 2 years old

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The Walking Dead has had nearly as many showrunners at it has seasons. Frank Darabont begat Glen Mazzara, who will shortly give way to Scott Gimple for the fourth season. While it may seem like a revolving door over there at AMC, Robert Kirkman—creator of the comic book and producer of the show—says he believes they’ve found someone who will stick around for the long haul, or at least who plays well enough with others that he’ll hang out for a little while.

Mazzara took over the reigns on The Walking Dead midway through season two, and is largely responsible for the faster pace and more action-heavy feel this season. Still, he was ousted late last year, replaced by Gimple. The next showrunner has penned a handful of episodes, including last week’s “Clear,” one of the strongest episodes in the entire franchise. So the show could very well be in good hands moving forward, though we’ll have to wait until fall to find out for sure.

Kirkman talked to Zap2it recently at PaleyFest. He lauded Gimple as a key piece of the writing staff, scripting some of the most important moments in the series—like zombie Sophia emerging from the barn in “Pretty Much Dead Already,” and added, “I think we’ve got some really exciting times ahead of us under his leadership.” He continued, “When that slot opened up, he was obviously the clear choice.”

Kirkman isn’t the only one bully on Gimple. Dave Alpert, another executive producer on the show, said, “Scott has a really amazing vision for where the show goes. He’s collaborative, he’s an amazing writer and amazing producer. We really couldn’t be luckier to have him as our new showrunner.”

At least they’re enthusiastic about their choice and the road ahead. If nothing else, fans can hang their hats on that fact heading into the last few episodes of this current season.