THE WALKING DEAD Showrunner Promises Really Great Stories For The Show's Female Characters

THE WALKING DEAD Showrunner Promises Really Great Stories For The Show's Female Characters

The Walking Dead showrunner Angela Kang shares her excitement for season nine of the show, which she says will have a "really fresh look and feel" and focus on "great stories" for the female characters.

By MattIsForReal - Jun 20, 2018 04:06 PM EST
Filed Under: The Walking Dead
Source: Insider
There's certainly no shortage of badass women in the universe of The Walking Dead and in the upcoming season, they'll get a chance to shine, according to new showrunner Angela Kang. Speaking during "The Kick-Ass Women of AMC" panel, Kang, who steps into the role of showrunner as former helmer Scott Gimple becomes Chief Content Officer, promised big things for characters such as Michonne, Maggie, Carol, and other females on the show.

"We're going to see some really great stories with the women on our show, particularly. And I think for people who are really invested in say Michonne, Maggie, Carol, there's such great material for them as well as, of course, Rick and Daryl, and those other characters that we love," she continued, "but for people who are looking for that specifically they will really see some incredible work from our women."

Kang mentioned one character people will be surprised with is Jadis, who revealed her name to be Anne. She said that fans will be seeing a "different aspect of her character."

There's no doubt things will be changing with The Walking Dead as there are reports that both Andrew Lincoln (Rick) and possibly Lauren Cohan (Maggie) are leaving the show after next season. Cohan is set to star in the new ABC series, Whiskey Cavalier. Kang didn't address those reports, but did promise a season that has a "really fresh look and feel." She also hinted at a time jump.

"We're playing with time in this season, so we get to kind of jump forward in the story," she teased. "We come in [to season nine] on some really fun stuff. I'm really focusing a lot on the core character relationships in the show that have kind of been long lasting as well as servicing all of our wonderful series' regulars."

No specifics were detailed, but if you're a fan of the comic, you already know there's a storyline that skips forward two years after the war with Negan; Maggie at that point has had her baby, Hershel, named after her late father. Season eight left off with Maggie appearing to form an alliance with Daryl which could form a chasm in their relationship with Rick.

We'll find out soon enough as The Walking Dead will return this fall for its ninth season. 
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Jcool
Jcool - 6/20/2018, 5:00 PM
RocknRolla
RocknRolla - 6/20/2018, 7:10 PM
@Jcool - man. Who asked for better stories for female leads?
aflynn
aflynn - 6/20/2018, 5:00 PM
Too bad they can’t bring back the franchises best female character Andrea because they ruined her and gave half her storyline to Michonne.
Kevwebsz
Kevwebsz - 6/20/2018, 5:02 PM
Why not great stories all around?
asherman93
asherman93 - 6/20/2018, 5:09 PM
@Kevwebsz - Because its usually been the dudes who get those in general.
Only media of The Walking Dead that I can say for certain have a female lead are Season 2 of the TellTale spin-off, and the TellTale Michonne spin-off.
BatCiggy
BatCiggy - 6/20/2018, 5:20 PM
@repulse93 - big thing to realize here is that TWD never set out with the goal of giving the men the spotlight, it was never the goal of the show. Just so happens the most interesting characters on the show tend to be the men, with the exception of Carol, and she's interesting because they didn't write her character with the intention of making a cool kick-ass woman character. They wrote her with her own motivations and intentions, going into writing with the sole purpose of giving girls cool girl power moments ends up creating hollow, shallow characters because the character no longer struggles, faces stakes, or anything. It's a lazy excuse for writing.
asherman93
asherman93 - 6/20/2018, 5:28 PM
@Haakonite -
It could also wind up giving them girl power moments AS A RESULT of well-written motivations and intentions.

I say wait and see... but admittedly, I've little horse in this race.
BatCiggy
BatCiggy - 6/20/2018, 5:04 PM
"Yeah we can't deliver great stories or story arcs for any of the main characters but don't worry girls, even though we no longer have a main character we're gonna be giving all your favorite side characters cool awesome stories and you'll be seeing some real kick-ass moments!"

Let the show die already damn.
asherman93
asherman93 - 6/20/2018, 5:09 PM
@Haakonite - It's also just as possible that letting those side characters get the spotlight could serve as the shot in the arm the show needs as a result of the previous showrunner's idiocy.
BatCiggy
BatCiggy - 6/20/2018, 5:15 PM
@repulse93 - See but the issue here isn't "Okay, let's look at some of the side characters and develop them because there's lots we can do here with their motivations and character." It's "Let's give the girl side characters some more attention because girls can kick ass too" type PC bullshit
MattIsForReal
MattIsForReal - 6/20/2018, 5:35 PM
I just went back and rewatched the scene from season 2 when Shane opens the barn door. Man, we just don't get moments like that in the show anymore...
Toecutter
Toecutter - 6/20/2018, 5:38 PM
CurlyBill
CurlyBill - 6/20/2018, 5:50 PM
That playing with time comment really troubles me, doing that in any show ussaly never works our it confuses the viewers to much just look at Westworld season 2.
GreedoSarducci
GreedoSarducci - 6/20/2018, 10:55 PM
@CurlyBill - it worked in the comic. There's a two year time jump after the Saviours War and they've built this big community in that time. I'm positive that's what we'll see at the start of the season. Well, everybody else will see it while I read the spoilers since I don't watch anymore.
JoeMomma29
JoeMomma29 - 6/20/2018, 6:01 PM
After this past season and how things played out....I actually took this off my season pass on my DVR.

Yup to me they have jumped The Shark!

HelaGood
HelaGood - 6/20/2018, 6:09 PM
this show was over looooooooong ago. stop beating a (walking) dead horse and just end it!

BlackIceJoe
BlackIceJoe - 6/20/2018, 6:53 PM
Fear has become the better show, sadly after killing off a fan favorite on Fear, it now could be worse than the Walking Dead.
bcom
bcom - 6/20/2018, 7:01 PM
How about they just focus on great stories for everyone, for the entire show? It needs to pick up the pace again. The last 2 seasons were the most non-eventful season so far and the war with the Saviors was completely anti-climatic.

Re-inject some of that urgency which made season 3 and 4 so good.
MrShow
MrShow - 6/20/2018, 8:57 PM
Kill this show already, and take creepy Chris with you.
GreedoSarducci
GreedoSarducci - 6/20/2018, 10:51 PM
We'll get the two year time jump and Maggie will STILL be pregnant.
Nerdpoint
Nerdpoint - 6/21/2018, 12:04 AM
Ugh is anyone else tired of people trying to get brownie points? Like make a good story who cares beyond that? And if your looking to media and art to make you feel a certain way you are looking in the wrong place art is a expression of a inner feelings that makes others feel! And yes if that means that a female characters arc is important than it is but if you go out of your way to shoe horn than that’s not art that is trying to please and my final thought is if he wasn’t trying to go out of his way to get these SJW points and was just making art why the need to tell people... attention...
Asturgis
Asturgis - 6/21/2018, 5:53 AM
This is ridiculous. Just do it, don't say it to look good. Imagine if we replaced the word "women" by "men" in those statements and others like them, it would become absurd.

"We're going to see some great stories with the men on our show, particularly. We'll see some incredible work from our male characters." And someone like Tessa Thompson can say "Women rule supreme" or "If working together, there is no stopping the power of women", but if say Chris Pratt decided to say "There is no stopping the power of men, men rule supreme", he would get crucified.

And please, don't tell me I'm a misogynist, I doubt there is a man on this site who wants female artists to be respected, payed and have as much work as their fellow male artists than I. I just find the language surrounding the issue absurd and hypocritical. You can give women the place and respect they deserve without patting yourself on the back and making a statement of it, and women can be proud of who they are without sounding as prejudiced and stupid as the men who keep them down.

gulducati
gulducati - 6/21/2018, 7:37 AM
...while paying them all far less.
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