The Walking Dead season 8 has resumed production, following the tragic death of a stuntman on-set. The Walking Dead has come to be a show that fans closely associate with tragedy, at least of the fictional kind. With the exception of Game of Thrones, no series currently on TV comes close to Walking Dead's penchant for suddenly and brutally killing off characters. Unfortunately, a few days ago, real life tragedy struck the set of the show, when stuntman John Bernecker sustained serious head injuries after a 30 foot fall onto a concrete floor.
While Bernecker - a nearly 10-year veteran of the stunt game - was immediately rushed to a nearby Atlanta hospital, he passed away not too long after, with doctors unable to do anything to counteract the horrific brain injuries that had occurred upon impact. Shortly after Bernecker's fall, The Walking Dead season 8 understandably shut down production temporarily, as one imagines that his co-workers were in no condition emotionally to continue to do their jobs at that particular time.
That said, as the famous saying goes, the show must go on, and that's exactly what happened today when The Walking Dead season 8 resumed production. While AMC hasn't made an official announcement as of yet, cast member Pollyanna McIntosh (Jadis) took to Instagram last night to post a tribute to Bernecker, as she prepared to return to work on set today. Clearly, even as the cast and crew of TWD go back to work, Bernecker's death weighs heavily on their minds still. McIntosh's post can be seen below.
As I prepare to work again tomorrow I'm again thinking of John's friends and family and of John. My heart goes out to you all and to the rest of your set family and families who've known John and his art. A post shared by Pollyanna McIntosh (@pollyannamcintosh) on
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Bernecker is of course not the first person to lose his life due to an accident on a Hollywood set, and presumably, he won't be the last. Of course, that doesn't make his loss any less heartbreaking. Still, if The Walking Dead were to continue to delay production, hundreds if not thousands of crew members wouldn't be able to work, and that wouldn't be fair to them either. It's a difficult situation all around.
Sadness aside, by the time The Walking Dead season 8 premieres in October, fans will have no doubt moved on, and be ready for another round of zombie apocalypse action and dramatic human-on-human strife. All-out war between Rick's side and Negan's side is coming, and when it does, no one on either side will be safe.
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The Walking Dead season 8 premieres this October on AMC.
Source: Pollyanna McIntosh