AMC's long-running TWD spinoff show Fear the Walking Dead is returning for its eighth and final season, and many exciting details have been revealed so far. Launched as a spinoff of the wildly popular Walking Dead series, Fear the Walking Dead expands the universe of the original show, delivering even more undead drama. Since its premiere in 2015, Fear the Walking Dead has grown and changed into its own experience, and has consistently given viewers new sides of the post-apocalyptic world that the franchise is based on. Even so, the series has managed to stay true to its roots by being gripping and leaning into the universe's horror elements, earning the "Fear" in its title.
Fear the Walking Dead initially showcased the initial outbreak of the virus, several years before when TWD' s main show was in the timeline. Following the conclusion of Fear the Walking Dead season 3, the show shifted its focus and began to run concurrently with the events The Walking Dead. This decision further tied it into the universe of the earlier show and allowed for Walking Dead characters to cross over to Fear the Walking Dead more often. With the original series coming to an end in 2022, Fear the Walking Dead season 8 has the chance to expand the world of Walking Dead even further before it also concludes, which could have lasting implications for the bevy of upcoming Walking Dead shows.
Fear The Walking Dead Season 8 Latest News
In the latest Fear The Walking Dead season 8 news, there's been reassurance from the team at AMC that the series is set to move ahead as scheduled despite the ongoing writer's strike. The Writers Guild of America went on strike in early May 2023 after negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers fell through. Until the WGA is able to get paid fairly for their work and have that reflected in contracts with the AMPTP, scriptwriters are halting all work. The result is that writers' rooms for television series have closed, putting a pause on new episodes of late-night television and meaning that production on many series is being delayed until after the strike is over.
It's been confirmed delays aren't happening with Fear The Walking Dead or the other Walking Dead spinoffs. AMC confirmed to press outlets that all scripts for their Walking Dead franchise have been completed and pre-production or production is underway for the various parts of the franchise, which includes Fear The Walking Dead and the upcoming Dead City as well as other TV movies. The strike does, however, prevent writers from being present on-set while filming occurs, which means scripts cannot undergo rewrites and adjustments from the writing staff until the strike is over. That might affect filming for Fear The Walking Dead down the road, but so far, the series is set to release on schedule.
Fear The Walking Dead Season 8 Release Date
Along with the main trailer for Fear the Walking Dead season 8, the official premiere date was given for the show's final season, and the first episode will air on May 14th, 2023. Though it will be shorter than many of the previous seasons at only 12 episodes, season 8 will nevertheless be split up into two main parts like seasons 6 and 7. The first six-episode block will air between May and June, with the second half airing sometime later in 2023. Previous mid-season breaks have spanned four months or more, and it could be possible that Fear the Walking Dead season 8 could resume in October or later.
Fear The Walking Dead Season 8 Cast
The announced cast for Fear the Walking Dead season 8 includes all nine of the top-billed actors from season 7, and stars like Lennie James (Morgan) and Kim Dickens (Madison) are once again going to head up the show's final season. Other survivors will return including Colman Domingo as Victor, Danay Garcia as Luciana, Austin Amelio as Dwight, and Jenna Elfman as June, and season 8 could explore what happened in their lives during the seven-year time jump. Also confirmed for the Fear The Walking Dead season 8 cast are Rubén Blades as Daniel Salazar, Karen David as Grace Mukherjee, and Christine Evangelista as Sherry.
Though the announced cast only includes characters that have been seen before, there is no doubt that the time jump and change of location will necessitate the introduction of new characters and even possibly see the return of characters from previous seasons or other series. There's also been no announcement if any new characters from The Walking Dead will cross over to Fear the Walking Dead for the final season, but it's always a possibility. With The Walking Dead setting up a bigger future, it could be that crucial characters in future spinoffs might make an appearance in Fear the Walking Dead season 8, and those shows could retroactively tie into what happens during the final season.
Fear The Walking Dead Season 8 Story Details
With such a detailed trailer provided by AMC, it is clear that the bulk of Fear the Walking Dead season 8 is going to deal with the seven-year time jump and the survivors' battles with PADRE. The Walking Dead franchise is no stranger to the rise and fall of communities, and the conflict with PADRE will undoubtedly be more than enough to flesh out the 12-episode final season. Also, their story could even bleed over into future spinoffs if they blossom into bona fide villains as they obviously have from their actions in season 7.
The rescue of Mo from PADRE is an important plot development that will need to be addressed rather quickly in Fear the Walking Dead season 8, and it has major character implications for Morgan considering the loss of his son Duane. Also, season 8 could finally reveal the true motivations of the mysterious group and the strange zombie experiments seen in the trailer. With those revelations could come closure for the spinoff series, or open an entirely different avenue for the future of the franchise.
Fear The Walking Dead Season 8 Is The Final Season
Most of the earliest Fear the Walking Dead season 8 news was around the announcement it would be the show's last. AMC has been transparent from the outset that Fear the Walking Dead season 8 will be the final season for the long-running spinoff. As the slate of other shows grows larger, the concluding season of Fear the Walking Dead will close Walking Dead's timeline gap while also setting up future series. Speculation abounds as to how exactly Fear the Walking Dead will actually conclude, but there is a strong possibility that it will leave the door open for the characters to make other appearances in spinoffs. It is also highly likely that the creators of the franchise will want to give themselves as much leeway as possible for upcoming stories.
Fear The Walking Dead Season 8 Trailer
Doing its job marvelously, the trailer for season 8 of Fear the Walking Dead not only drums up excitement for more episodes but also contains the necessary gravitas of it being the end of the spinoff. Though the actual ending is unknown, Fear the Walking Dead season 8 will obviously have to catch Morgan up to where he was in The Walking Dead, and what happens in between could make his character all the more compelling. Not holding anything back, the trailer makes it abundantly clear that Fear the Walking Dead is going to go out with a bang.