Fans of "The Walking Dead" are in for a treat. Ahead of its Season 7 premiere, AMC announced that they are renewing the hit zombie apocalypse series for an eighth season.
The good news came to light at the start of the two-hour special episode of "The Walking Dead: The Journey So Far" that aired on Oct. 16, Sunday. Scott M. Gimple is back on board to produce the eight season.
"The Walking Dead" Season 8 will consist of 16-episode. It is expected to kick off with its 100th episode in late 2017.
"Eeny, meeny, miny, more," said AMC president Charlie Collier in a Negan-riffing statement obtained by Entertainment Weekly. "What a joy to partner with Robert Kirkman, Scott Gimple and some of the hardest-working people in television to bring 'The Walking Dead' to the fans. And, most important, thanks to those fans for breathing life into this remarkable series right along with us."
According to AMC, the zombie apocalypse series has been the top-rated show on TV among the age of 18 to 49-year-old for the last four years. The season six finale of "The Walking Dead" ended with a massive cliffhanger, all thanks to the arrival of Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan).
In January, series creator Robert Kirkman talked about Negan's role in "The Walking Dead" Season 7. In particular, he said that Negan will remain a constant threat to Grimes and to all the Alexandria survivors.
Apart from Negan, "The Walking Dead" Season 7 will also introduce the self-proclaimed leader of the Kingdom, Ezekiel (Khary Payton) along with his pet tiger called Shiva, Cinema Blend reported. In the comic, the self-proclaimed King has a strong hatred for Negan and the Saviors, which led him to work together with Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) to bring down the ruthless and the foul-mouthed villain.
"The Walking Dead" Season 7 is expected to premiere on Oct. 23. Following the premiere, AMC is hosting a 90-minute live discussion on "Talking Dead" that will be attended by 12 cast members.
Stay tuned for more updates as they arrive. Meanwhile, check out the teaser trailer below: