I don't read Robert Kirkman's individual issues of The Walking Dead but I am a faithful reader of the TPB. It's with a pretty thorough knowledge of the source material that I can say that where Season 3 ended on the television adaptation, at the equivalent point in the comic book, the greatest threat to Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and the rest of his crew are other people not zombies. Moving forward, the threat order remains the same with people on top as subsequent issues reveal that there are more dastardly individuals besides The Governor roaming the skeletal remains of civilization. Sure, Walkers still score the occasional kill but at this point, the threats they pose are well known as are the methods to counteract them which has almost becomes second nature to those still surviving. With that in mind, it's interesting to hear from Executive Producer Gale Anne Hurd that the Walkers become 'more threatening' in Season 4. What immediately springs to my mind is more 'herds', something we've seen previously on the show but not prominently in recent episodes. That's just speculation on my part however, as the showrunners have proven they're not afraid to mix things up and chart their own course.
Gale Anne Hurd: "The Walking Dead will never do what’s expected of us. You always expect that the big bad will be killed in the finale. It’s really unlikely we’re going to do that. I think that there’s more to be done with not only the character, but with the conflict that we get to see, the difference in leadership between the Governor and Rick."
At the end of the season, we saw a bus load of people from Woodbury join up with Rick's group at the prison. Did everyone leave the town or are there still people in Woodbury?
Hurd: "I couldn’t tell you that, to be honest. I think that’s a decision we’ll come to find out in the new season."
This season was more about the 'human threat.' Will we see the threat of the walkers return more strongly in Season 4?
Hurd: "Yeah, I don’t think that in a show that goes from season to season -- we are living in a zombie apocalypse, we’re living in an apocalypse where we know that unless someone has brain trauma, they’re going to come back. Regardless of how they die, they’re going to turn into a zombie. So I think it would be a good bet to say that the zombies become more threatening in seasons to come."
There's much more in the interview with Gale at IGN so click the source link below to read the full transcript. The conversation ranges from discussion of zombies being in the zeitgeist at the moment in television, film and literature to the relationship between Rick and Carl moving forward. What direction would you like the show to take in Season 4? More Walker action or continue to introduce more human villains like The Governor?
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Season 3 Of THE WALKING DEAD Puts Carl Center Stage
The Walking Dead, the most watched drama in basic cable history, returned for an exhilarating third season on Sun., Oct. 14, 2012 at 9/8c. In this uncertain world, Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) and his band of survivors must not only fight the dead, but also face a whole new fear: the living. A 16 episode season, the series Entertainment Weekly called the "greatest thriller ever produced for television' will air in two parts, with the first eight hours kicking off October 14 and returning February 2013 with the final eight episodes.
In the highly anticipated new season, Rick and his fellow survivors continue to seek refuge in a desolate and post-apocalyptic world and soon discover that there are greater forces to fear than just the walking dead. The struggle to survive has never been so perilous. Season 3 also introduces new characters, including the Governor (David Morrissey) and fan-favorite Michonne (Danai Gurira), along with her zombie pets.
Based on the comic book series written by Robert Kirkman and published by Image Comics, The Walking Dead stars Lincoln, Sarah Wayne Callies, Laurie Holden, Steven Yeun, Norman Reedus, Chandler Riggs, Lauren Cohan, Scott Wilson, IronE Singleton, Melissa McBride, Morrissey and Gurira. The series is executive produced by showruner Glen Mazzara, Kirkman, Gale Anne Hurd and David Alpert with Greg Nicotero, Denise Huth and Evan Reilly as co-executive producers.
The Walking Dead reigns as the most watched drama series on basic cable for Adults 18-49 and Adults 25-54. The series has garnered two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Prosthetic Make-up, a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Television Series - Drama, and a WGA Award for Outstanding Achievement in Writing Derivative New Media, among other accolades.
The Walking Dead Season 3 by Teaser-Trailer.com
Running Time: 60 minutes (45 min actual air time)
Release Date: October 14 (Season 3-premiere)
TV Rating: TV-MA for sex & nudity, violence & gore, profanity, alchohol/drugs/smoking and frightening/intense scenes
Starring: Andrew Lincoln, David Morrissey,Chad Coleman,Laurie Holden, Sonequa Martin-Green, Steven Yeun, Chandler Riggs, Emily Kinney, Norman Reedus
Creators: Frank Darabont (show) Robert Kirkman (comic)
Written by: Frank Darabont, Charles H. Eglee, Jack LoGiudice, Robert Kirkman, Glen Mazzara, Adam Fierro, Charlie Adlard, Tony Moore, Evan T. Reilly