Fear the Walking Dead producer Andrew Chambliss says that season 4 is accessible for viewers checking out the show for the first time. Set two years after the events of the season 3 finale, "Sleigh Ride", season 4 of Fear the Walking Dead gets a bit of a reset plot-wise, leaping forward and bringing in some serious talent to play a slew of new major characters. The new season also marks the first crossover event of the series, as the time-jump allows longtime Walking Dead regular Lennie James to appear as Morgan Jones.
Most of the Proctors, but not necessarily including leader Proctor John (Ray McKinnon), are dead as a result of the Gonzalez Dam explosion at the end of season 3. Madison (Kim Dickens) looks poised to take over the Proctors' trading post "El Bazar" as the show's continued driving force. She was the only character whose fate was clearly known until the first previews for season 4. That may concern longtime fans of Fear the Walking Dead, but Chambliss says it's a positive thing for newcomers - and that the new season still retains enough familiarity to make it accessible for anyone.
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As reported by Cinema Blend on Saturday, Chambliss spoke about the new season of Fear The Walking Dead at Wondercon in Anaheim. With the new batch of episodes starting fresh as it jumps ahead in time and introduces a host of new characters - including cast additions Garret Dillahunt, Jenna Elfman, and Maggie Grace - Chambliss sees it as a good opportunity for the uninitiated to give the show their first viewing. But as he pointed out, there's still plenty of room for Walking Dead devotees as well.
"Really I think anyone, whether you're a fan of Fear The Walking Dead and The Walking Dead or someone who's completely new to the universe, can really kind of step in and we've got so many new faces and so many familiar faces that there's a different point of view kind of represented in the episode, so it's very easy for someone to kind of latch onto a particular point of view and just kind of experience this season. So I'd say anyone who has any interest can, they can jump aboard. I don't think it's hard to kind of find their footing in the storytelling."
James' crossover appearance as Morgan Jones helps balance out the new faces joining returning stars Dickens, Alycia Debnam-Carey, and Frank Dillane, among others. As expected, he's been a major piece of the promotion of season 4, appearing in recently released key art, the full trailer, and the teaser. The 30-second preview also showed the return of Luciana Galvez (Danay Garcia) after being missing from the main plot for most of the third season, as well as a quick glimpse at a heavily armed Victor Strand (Colman Domingo).
With the Proctors almost entirely wiped out and Madison appearing to describe El Bazar as "home", Fear the Walking Dead regulars are getting about as fresh of a start as the brand new characters. The brief look at Dillahunt's new character certainly makes him look dangerous to walkers, but he could be to his fellow survivors as well. And Elfman and Grace's additions to the cast also serve to inject the apocalyptic proceedings with added freshness.
Proctor John spoke of ambitions to expand in the penultimate season 3 episode, "Things Bad Begun", before the mayhem of "Sleigh Ride". The wheelchair-bound John was already slowed by a spinal tumor causing paralysis in his legs. With the people already confirmed to be back and the infusion of new characters, he still has a chance to find new territory - but there's no telling what kind of shape he's in two years later. Either way, the combination of established characters and fresh blood represents a chance to reinvigorate Fear the Walking Dead for both new and returning viewers.
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Fear the Walking Dead season 4 premieres April 15 on AMC.
Source: Cinema Blend