The Walking Dead renewed for Season 9, but without Scott Gimple as showrunner

AMC has announced that The Walking Dead will be back for a ninth season next fall, but without Scott Gimple returning as showrunner.

Instead, Gimple will be heading up the chain as Chief Content Officer overseeing TWD as well as Fear The Walking Dead. Although Gimple injected energy into the show with Season 4, following Glen Mazzara's departure, but has since raised the ire of fans and critics. Moving him to a different position keeps him in the TWD family but will prevent him from overseeing the day-to-day on the show.

Meanwhile, Angela Kang, will take over as showrunner for the October 2018 season. Kang has served on the zombie show as a writer and co-executive producer on the post-apocalyptic drama since 2011, and was behind episodes "Still," and "Coda."

Now, for spoiler territory for those who aren't caught up on the show

But Gimple's departure comes on the heels of the controversial death of Chandler Rigg's Carl Grimes, which was set up in the Dec. 10 midseason premiere, and will play out Feb. 25 when the show returns for the back-half of Season 8.

Meanwhile, Riggs and Gimple aren't the only folks leaving the main show: Lennie James, who plays Morgan, is departing the show to  join Fear the Walking Dead.

OK, now that we have that out of the way, check out this funny "true" (not true) spoilers revealed by The Walking Dead cast from Entertainment Weekly.

-Aaron Sagers

Robert Kirkman apologizes for The Walking Dead finale

If you felt a little ripped off by the Season 6 finale of The Walking Dead -- you know, the one where they were building to the introduction of Negan, and the death of a major character, but cut to credits without showing Who. The. Hell. Died! -- well, creator Robert Kirkman has heard your cries.

As reported by Blastr, Kirkman addresses the situation in the letters page of Issue #154 of the comic. He apologizes for dicking fans around -- sort of. He also says the finale cliffhanger leading to next fall's Season 7 premiere was a success, and basically pulled what Star Trek: The Next Generation did every season.

Someone with a better knowledge of Star Trek should fact check that one, because I'm not quite certain I buy it.

Check out his statement below, and let us know: Do you feel like you have a few extra months to hope, and not grieve? Do you think it was a smart play to get you talking? Or do you still feel pretty pissed at the non-reveal?

Watch the Definitive Survival Guide For Zombie Children: 'A Brain is For Eating'

And remember my darlings...
To take care of your head...
It's the thing most important...
It keeps you undead.

Three years ago, I encountered what was described as an "educational book for zombie children" and wrote up a little something about "A Brain is For Eating." Yes this self-published book from Dan and Amelia Jacobs exists! It's available on Amazon for purchase but now, just in time for Halloween, they've released the full illustrated version on YouTube and it's delightful.

Read along with your little ghouls and goblins and, well...brain eaters. Click here for more details. Happy Halloween!

-Larissa Mrykalo

First Full Trailer Released for 'Fear the Walking Dead'

Courtesy AMC

It may only be 30 seconds but the first full trailer for "Fear the Walking Dead" offers up some zombpoc clues. Maybe. Hopefully the series is a little more exciting and offers some insight into what caused the dead to rise again. Although, Robert Kirkman has always been more focused on how it's impacted the living and not the origin so we still may remain in the dark about whether it's a virus, microbe, etc.

The hour-long, LA-based spin-off will air on AMC this August and consists of only six episodes. Fear not, another season will air in 2016. The series stars; Kim Dickens, Colman Domingo, Cliff Curtis, Ruben Blades, Alycia Debnam Carey, Mercedes Mason, Shawn Hatosy, and Frank Dillane. Familiar names are in the executive producer chairs, including; Dave Erickson, Robert Kirkman, Gale Anne Hurd, Greg Nicotero and David Alpert.

We'll keep you posted on when the exact air date will be.

-Larissa Mrykalo

Mock 'The Walking Dead' Trailer...'Zombieland'-Style!

Yummy screen shot

The season 90-minute finale of The Walking Dead airs this weekend at 9 p.m. ET on AMC and a season five marathon starts tonight at 8 p.m. so you can catch up on the the guts and gory.

Okay, now that the business end of this post has been tackled, here's a fun walk down Memory Lane with a mock trailer of The Walking Dead in the style of 2009's Zombieland. 

It was recently posted on YouTube by The Usual Suspect and I thought it was kinda cool. It was fun seeing some of the past kills, how different the group looked and how clean Daryl appeared. It also made me want to watch Zombieland again.

Enjoy, and always remember...double tap.

-Larissa Mrykalo

'The Walking Dead' Companion Series Officially Titled 'Fear The Walking Dead'

We finally have an official title for The Walking Dead companion series thanks to a tweet from Robert Kirkman. The show will be called Fear The Walking Dead and we'll be getting a first look this Sunday after The Walking Dead season finale.

We know that the new series will air six one-hour episodes, the setting will be LA and we'll (obviously) be exploring the lives and storylines of new characters. The series will have the same team as TWD with executive producers; Robert Kirkman, Gale Anne Hurd, Greg Nicotero and David Alpert. It will premiere late this summer with the show’s second season airing in 2016. AMC president Charles Collier recently revealed that the companion series will explore "what was going on in other parts of the zombie apocalypse, and what it looked like as the world really did ‘turn.’"

AMC has already ordered two seasons of what looks to be a prequel of the original series and cast members include; Cliff Curtis as "Sean," Kim Dickens as "Miranda," also Frank Dillane and Alycia Debnam Carey.

So what do you guys think of the title? Seems a little lackluster? Let us know if you're excited about the new series and of course, remember to tune in for the 90-minute season five finale this Sunday at 9 p.m. on AMC followed by Talking Dead.

IT'S OFFICIAL! The walking dead companion show on AMC is called FEAR THE WALKING DEAD! Expect more news very soon! #FearTheWalkingDead
— Robert Kirkman (@RobertKirkman) March 27, 2015

-Larissa Mrykalo

Official Trailer Released for New Schwarzenegger Zombie Film, 'Maggie'

In the wake of several zomcoms coming out recently, a new independent drama starring Arnold Schwarzenegger is walking on the dark side. Isn't that where zombies should prevail? Infection ain't pretty. Schwarzenegger stars along with Oscar nominee, Abigail Breslin in the Henry Hobson-directed, Maggie, as a dad in a post-apocalyptic world who has been assigned to protect his infected daughter.

Maggie was an official selection for the 2015 Tribeca Film Festival and after being screened there on April 22, the rest of us can catch it in theaters and VOD on May 8. The official trailer was just released so you should take a look and let us know what you think.

Synopsis from IMDB:
A teenage girl in the Midwest becomes infected by an outbreak of a disease that slowly turns the infected into cannibalistic zombies. During her transformation, her loving father stays by her side.



-Larissa Mrykalo

'Zombeavers' In Theaters and VOD Today

March 20 not only marks the first day of spring, there's something equally exciting happening on this fine Friday. Yes, boys and girls, today marks the day when Epic Pictures' Zombeavers is released in theaters and Video on Demand. I remember when the trailer for this film hit over a year ago and I got a little too excited. (insert eager beaver joke here)

The Jordan Rubin-directed film is described by IMDB as, "A fun weekend turns into madness and horror for a bunch of groupies looking for fun in a beaver infested swamp." Enough said?

The LA Times had decent things to say, "Zombeavers is the mutant love child of horror specialist Troma, early Peter Jackson, Japanese kaiju flicks and Canadian television sketch comedies — a film that disgusts, terrifies and tickles in equal measure with grotesque creatures and a sickening sense of humor." They go on to say, "Despite the deliberately schlocky effects and puppetry, other aspects of the filmmaking are surprisingly satisfactory." Well I know how I'm spending my Friday night!

Check out the trailers and then let us know if you plan on checking it out. We're sure the theater experience would be dam good but most of us will enjoy it in the privacy and safety of our own homes. You can click here for a list of theaters.

-Larissa Mrykalo

Cornell Researchers Use Statistics to Help Us Survive a Zombie Apocalypse

Yeah, stay rural. Nothing will hurt you in the country.

Anytime researchers can add the element of fun to disease modeling, it's a great thing, right? Of course when you throw in zombies, it gets even better. Thanks to being inspired by a statistical mechanics class (sounds delightful) and reading Max Brooks' World War Z, a group of researchers at New York's Cornell University decided to study how an actual zombie apocalypse would pan out in the US.

I'll break this all down with quotes and stuff but basically, you want to be in a rural area in order to survive the longest. Tell that to the folks in Night of the Living Dead.

According to PHYS.org, "During the 2015 American Physical Society March Meeting, on Thursday, March 5 in San Antonio, Texas, the group will describe their work modeling the statistical mechanics of zombies—those thankfully fictional 'undead' creatures with an appetite for human flesh." This isn't the first time zombies have been used in real situations: the CDC even has a "preparedness campaign" in place because the techniques are helpful in disasters. Wait, do these brain-y types know something we don't know?

Okay, so let's turn to Alex Alemi, a graduate student at Cornell University, for answers on why he and his gang decided to use zombies in the disease model. In a nutshell, we can wrap our brains around zombies...they're relatable. He goes on to state, "Modeling zombies takes you through a lot of the techniques used to model real diseases, albeit in a fun context." Zombies really are fun, agreed? Disease...not so much.

First Look at the CW's New Series, 'iZombie'

The new CW series, "iZombie," premieres on Tuesday, March 17 at 9 p.m. ET and now we have a first look at what we can expect from the adaptation of the Chris Roberson and Michael Allred-created DC comic book series.

Taken from its official Facebook page, the premise of the series reads as follows:

Olivia “Liv” Moore was a rosy-cheeked, disciplined, over-achieving medical resident who had her life path completely mapped out, until the night she attended a party that unexpectedly turned into a zombie feeding frenzy. Afterward, she had become part zombie and currently works at a coroner's office so she can eat brains so she can survive, which gave her a useful ability to get the memories from said brains to help solve homicide mysteries.

The series stars Rose McIver as Olivia "Liv" Moore; Robert Buckley as Major Lilywhite; Malcolm Goodwin as Clive Babinaux; David Anders as Blaine DeBeers; and, Rahul Kohli as Dr. Ravi Chakrabarti. Executive producers include: Rob Thomas ("Veronica Mars"); Diane Ruggiero; Dan Etheridge; and Danielle Stokdyk.



-Larissa Mrykalo

New Promo Trailer for 'The Walking Dead' Season Five

There's a brand spanking new trailer for the remainder of the fifth season of "The Walking Dead" with a key goal in mind... "Surviving together is all that matters." A foggy forest has the band of survivors shooting at something but is it alive or dead?

Is this a scene from an episode or just a promo? Probably just a promo indicating that the remainder of the season will prove to be even more violent that the first half. That tends to be the trend with this series, right?

We'll all be reunited on Sunday, February 8 at 9 p.m. ET.

-Larissa Mrykalo

Matt Smith To Star With Natalie Dormer in 'Patient Zero'

Courtesy IMDB

It looks like Matt Smith is digging hanging out with zombies, according to an exclusive from Deadline. The former star of "Doctor Who" and most recently, Screen Gems’ production "Pride And Prejudice And Zombies," will stick with Screen Gems and star opposite Natalie Dormer ("Game of Thrones") in "Patient Zero." The action thriller will be directed by Stefan Ruzowitzky, penned by Mike Le produced by and Vincent Newman.

Here's the film's description, thanks to Deadline...

In "Patient Zero," an unprecedented global pandemic of a super strain of rabies has resulted in the evolution of a new species driven by violence. An inexplicably immune human survivor with the ability to communicate with this new species must spearhead a hunt for "Patient Zero" in order to find a cure to save his infected wife and humanity.

In addition to these zombie (or, in this case, infected) flicks, Smith is starring in Paramount and Skydance’s "Terminator: Genisys" as well as the Ryan Gosling-directed, "Lost River."

No release date has been set for "Patient Zero" and "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies" is still filming. We'll keep you posted on release dates.

-Larissa Mrykalo

Romance is Alive During the Zombie Apocalypse in the 2011 Short Film, 'Chomp'

Can there still be romance in the zombie apocalypse? Between zombies? According to this delightful award-winning short by Adam and Joe Horton that came out in 2011, the answer is a resounding, "Yes!"

In "Chomp," a lovely zombie girl meets an unsure-footed zombie boy when they find a dead dude. No candles needed at this romantic dinner...they just dig in. When they start eating the same piece of intestine, that spaghetti scene from "Lady and the Tramp" just gets a little less romantic. For dessert? They share one heart. Literally. Did they leave a tip? Sorry.

'Chomp' stars Marc Pickering and Georgina Strawson as the zombies and James Dean as the cadaver (no, the other James Dean). Many thanks to Bloody Disgusting for resurrecting this gem and bringing it to our attention. Enjoy!



-Larissa Mrykalo

Chicago's Admiral Theater Celebrates Sixth Year of 'Night of the Stripping Dead'

Prepare yourselves, boils and ghouls, for the "Night of Stripping Dead" is coming. Celebrating their sixth year, the Admiral Theater will once again be providing spooky (and sensual) entertainment for Chicago's adults. The event originally began as a one night event, but became so popular that it now spans three terrifyingly sexy evenings.

According to the Admiral himself, "Wicked Wednesday will include Witches, Zombies and Mummies. Terrifying Thursday will host more Zombies and offer $1000 for the best Sexy Zombie Stripper. Freakshow Friday will no doubt be the most Thrilling of all with Freaky Features and Ghoulish surprises!" The performances will span from October 29th at 9 p.m. through November 1st at 6 a.m.

If you're 18+ and in the Chicago area, be sure to snag your tickets before they return to the grave for another year.

-Nowal Massari

'The Walking Dead' Will Return For a Sixth Season

Courtesy AMC

We knew it was as inevitable as a zombie apocalypse, but now it's official..."The Walking Dead" will be back for a sixth season. The fifth season premieres on Sunday, October 12 at 9 p.m. ET and AMC gave us this treat to hold us over. Although we don't know how many episodes will be included, the announcement revealed that executive producer and show runner, Scott Gimple would be in charge of the horde.

AMC President Charlie Collier stated, "We could not be more excited for October 12th as we share new episodes of 'The Walking Dead' with fans around the globe. In advance of Sunday's season five premiere, AMC proudly confirms a sixth season order of this extraordinary series. Thank you to Robert Kirkman, Scott Gimple, the terrific executive producers, and the entire team who brings this compelling world and these rich characters to life. There's plenty more Dead ahead thanks to their impressive, collective effort."

To put you in the mood for this Sunday, here are the latest videos from AMC featuring U2’s new song “The Troubles" (featuring Lykke Li).



-Larissa Mrykalo

'Bad Lip Reading' Takes on Season Four of 'The Walking Dead'

A new Bad Lip Reading for "The Walking Dead" has just hit and it certainly makes season four's grimness a little lighter. Check it out if only to hear Hershel reveal to Carl that, "There's always a little roach in my Slenderman undies." Beth also sings a lovely tune about how Mr. Potato head likes to punch her. Speaking of singing, Carl is pretty kick ass at rapping. Must be all that puddin' he ate?

In case you weren't already aware, the fifth season of "The Walking Dead" premieres on AMC on October 12 at 9 p.m. ET.



-Larissa Mrykalo

Matt Smith Joins the Cast of 'Pride and Prejudice and Zombies'

Smith, courtesy of IMDB

It looks like a former Doctor is joining the cast "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies" according to an exclusive over at The Hollywood Reporter. Matt Smith recently ended his run on "Doctor Who" but now he'll be taking on the role of Mr. Collins in the film based on the Seth Grahame-Smith adaptation novel.

The Burr Steers-directed and co-written film begins filming on September 24 and will also star Lily James, Sam Riley, Jack Huston, Bella Heathcote and Douglas Booth. THR sums up the horror-comedy, "The movie is a horror-comedy spin on Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. The heroine, Liz Bennett (James), is pressured by her family to marry into a wealthy upper-class home but chafes at the stiff social mores of Victorian England. Instead, she feels that she should help defend the countryside against the onslaught of a horrifying zombie plague."

We'll keep you posted on any new details including when it'll hit theaters next year.

-Larissa Mrykalo

Syfy’s Seventh Annual '31 Days of Halloween' Includes the New Docuseries, 'Town of the Living Dead'

The most wonderful time of the year is fast approaching and for its seventh year, Syfy is bringing us its 31 Days of Halloween programming line-up. This year will feature not only new original movies, but also the 200th episode of "Ghost Hunters" and a new docuseries, "Town of the Living Dead." The full press release fills us in on all of the programming details, including info on its new zombie series from the production company that unleashed a "Sharknado," The Asylum's "Z Nation."

Press Release:
Syfy’s 7th annual 31 Days of Halloween spook-a-thon (October 1-31) will unleash 600 hours of spine-tingling programming including the premiere of the docuseries Town of the Living Dead (October 7); the 10th anniversary – and 200th episode – of Ghost Hunters (October 8 and October 22), and three terrifying Original Movies Dark Haul (October 4), Dead Still (October 6) and Finders Keepers (October 18) – starring Tobin Bell, “Jigsaw” from the iconic Saw franchise.
Among the blood-curdling theatrical movie premieres airing during this year’s scarefest are Shutter (October 5) and the remake of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (October 11).

Syfy’s new series Z Nation, about a band of everyday heroes transporting the only known survivor of a zombie plague to California, where the last functioning viral lab waits for his blood, continues its first season Fridays at 10PM (ET/PT). Z Nation stars Harold Perrineau (Oz, Lost) and Tom Everett Scott (Southland, Beauty and the Beast)

AMC Orders Pilot for Companion Series to 'The Walking Dead'

Courtesy AMC

AMC just announced a pilot order for a companion series to "The Walking Dead" and not only will Robert Kirkman, Gale Anne Hurd and David Alpert be on board as executive producers but it's also being produced by AMC Studios. In addition, the AMC blog mentions that "Dave Erickson (Marco Polo, Sons of Anarchy), who co-created and co-wrote the pilot with Kirkman, will serve as an executive producer and showrunner."

Hopefully this means the new series will stay pretty close to the original series...or do we want something different? Not much more info has been revealed other than the fact that the pilot is scheduled for production in late 2014.

From AMC President Charlie Collier, “Almost from the beginning of 'The Walking Dead' on AMC, fans have been curious about what is going on in the zombie apocalypse in other parts of the world. In fact, beyond requests for zombie cameos, it’s the question I get asked the most. Obviously, we all take our stewardship of the original franchise incredibly seriously and we, along with Robert, Gale, David and now Dave, are all proceeding with extreme care in order to ensure that we are offering fans something truly compelling, engaging and distinct. We’re thrilled to be taking this next step with these remarkable partners.”

New Video Clip From New Joe Dante Zombie Comedy, 'Burying the Ex'

Deadline Hollywood just released an exclusive clip from the new Joe Dante-directed zom-rom-com, "Burying the Ex." The film stars Ashley Greene ("Evelyn") as Anton Yelchin's ("Max") clingy ex "who dies in a freak accident but rises from the dead and expects her relationship with her boyfriend (Yelchin) to continue as normal." Based on the clip, he's not too thrilled about that "always and forever" pact they made, especially since he's ready to move on with his potential soulmate, "Olivia" (Alexandra Daddario).

"Burying the Ex" is having its world premiere on Thursday at the Venice Film Festival. Check out the clip below and let us know if this is a zombie film you'd enjoy seeing or do you prefer your horror lighter on the romance and laughs. There's no word yet on a release date here in the States.



-Larissa Mrykalo