The upcoming premiere of The Walking Dead: World Beyond has been pushed to later this year, likely due to coronavirus concerns. A spinoff of the popular AMC show The Walking Dead, World Beyond is set in the same world as both the original show and fellow spinoff Fear the Walking Dead. However, the upcoming series takes place in Nebraska, ten years after the zombie apocalypse began. It will also feature a female-led cast, whose characters are the first generation raised following the apocalypse. The Walking Dead: World Beyond is also distinct from the other two shows in the franchise in that it's a two-season limited series rather than an open-ended show.
The series is one of many Hollywood productions affected by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. As many in the United States and other parts of the world focus on staying home, sets and production offices have been shut down. Disney has stopped work on its Marvel Disney+ series, and The CW has halted production on all of its in-progress Arrowverse shows. Additionally, movies across the world have ceased filming for the time being, including Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and Jurassic World: Dominion.
AMC announced the premiere delay on The Walking Dead: World Beyond's official Twitter. The new series was originally set to debut on Sunday, April 12. The network explained fans can keep their eyes on the same account for additional updates. Check out the announcement below:
The Walking Dead: World Beyond is far from the first production to face a coronavirus-related delay. However, so far, it's mostly affected movie releases rather than TV. Essentially all movies coming out in the next month or two have been postponed. In rare cases, like with James Bond film No Time to Die, new release dates far in the future have been set. Others, like Black Widow, have just been delayed indefinitely due to the coronavirus. It's also caused some movies to break the window between theater and home video releases. Others, like The Lovebirds, have skipped their theatrical releases all together and will release exclusively on streaming.
The news about The Walking Dead: World Beyond isn't especially surprising. Not only has the coronavirus caused production issues across the industry, it's also changed what people want to watch. As tensions run high, audiences are generally looking for escapist media. Disney, for example, banked on viewers hoping for a distraction by releasing Frozen 2 on Disney+ a full three months early. A dystopian-style show like The Walking Dead: World Beyond probably wouldn't play very well right now, making AMC's decision to postpone the right one.
Source: The Walking Dead: World Beyond/Twitter