Bullies, bowling and undead!
@lance_paul
FEAR THE WALKING DEAD (Friday) – The dead will rise again, with no boat needed. Coming back August 21st for the backend of season two, Hall H started off Day 2 hosting the new breakout undead hit Fear the Walking Dead. Opening the panel once again was Chris Hardwick, a level 16 in Pokeman GO and the Hufflepuffs of team Mystic…. So you know what to do Team Valor!
After the world premiere of FTWD‘s mid-season trailer, the cast and writers graced the stage. This second half of the show will place our favorite neophyte Apocalypse survivors in a very different setting. Like season 3 (ep. 5 and parts of 7), the group is split up and trying to survive on their own. “Everyone has lost their minds. For the first time we are going to see our characters having to survive in the apocalypse. They’re separated and learning to survive on their own.. There is a level of intensity and violence you haven’t seen before,” said Executive Producer Dave Erickson.
(Cont.) The new setting will find Nick on his own with a new community in Tijuana and a possible new love interest with in Lucina, played by Danay Garcia (Prison Break). Garcia explained that there are three kinds of death for Mexicans–death, buried and when you are forgotten–and that the show will tackle that, dealing with the dead in a very different and constructive way in Tijuana. Weak patriarch Travis, played by Cliff Curtis (Blow), will be on a much needed father/son bonding trip as he works on saving his deranged son played by Lorenzo James Henrie (7th Heaven). The final group consisting of Madison, Strain and the rest of the survivors will try and find shelter in an abandoned beach hotel.
The cast all got a word in and seemed to be having a great time on the show. Some of the funniest parts of the panel involved Lorenzo’s accent having the whole audience thinking he was talking about bowling and footage of Colman Domingo breaking out into his best Michale Jackson dance moves. This moment of comic relief began when Lorenzo said he learned a lot about being targeted, tormented and BOWLING through playing his character, Chris. After an awkward silence and murmuring, Chris Hardwick verified that he didn’t mean bowling but bullying as the crowd went crazy with laughter. 4/5 Bloated Water Logged Zombies Agree.
THE WALKING DEAD (Friday) – Right on the heels of FTWD, of course, was the big poppa that started it all. Talking Dead‘s Hardwick welcomed the most recent cast of last season, followed by the “talk of the dead” and everyone’s new favorite add on, Negan played by Jeffrey Dean Morgan (Watchmen‘s The Comedian) and Creator Robert Kirkman.
Following a trailer for next season and the release date–11/23/2016–the panel also announced that Scott Gimple wrote the first episode with Greg Nicotero directing–amazing news since the premiere will reveal the fate of the main character dead at the hands of Negan bat, Lucille.
(Cont.) The biggest news to come out of the panel though, is that the world just got a ton bigger! The Kingdom is coming. “We are going to find a larger universe… an interesting non-human character… Meow,” said Producer Gale Anne Hurd.
Alluding to fan favorite and the biggest zombie killing cat ever, yes, Shiva will be joining the cast. Along with newcomer Khary Payton (Teen Titans Go, Young Justice), playing a much younger fan favorite King Ezekiel. In the comics, the King is no fan of Negan and aligns with Rick to battle the Saviors, in one of the most brutal 5-comic-long war ever to hit stands. Also in the comics Ezekiel draws the romantic attention of Michonne, so maybe we might see the start of a future love triangle. But given the positive fan reactions from the television couple of Rick and Michonne.. uh-huh.. that may not happen. 4/5 “Glen Lives” Fans Agree.