‘Fear The Walking Dead’: Exiting Showrunner Hints Season 3 Will Be ‘Politically Charged’

Season 3 of AMC’s Fear the Walking Dead is set to premiere on June 4. Ahead of the departure of its showrunner, Dave Erickson discusses the politically-fueled season and whether on not he will be involved with subsequent seasons of Fear.

SPOILER ALERT: This article discusses Season 3 of AMC’s Fear the Walking Dead. Please proceed with caution if you wish to avoid spoilers.

The Walking Dead franchise has seen its share of showrunners with the original series, The Walking Dead. However, now it is time for Fear the Walking Dead to have a change of leadership. Season 3 will be the final season for Fear‘s showrunner, Dave Erickson. From Season 4 onward, Andrew Chambliss and Ian Goldberg, will take the helm. Erickson will still stay on as executive producer for Fear, alongside The Walking Dead‘s showrunner, Scott Gimple, as he also takes on a role of executive producer in Season 4 of Fear.

So, how will Dave Erickson tie up Season 3? He revealed to The Hollywood Reporter that he plans for a “clean break” from Fear the Walking Dead. However, he also wants to tie up the storylines he has previously put in place.

“Creatively, it’s an interesting place to be. We’re setting things up to hand off to someone else. I’m curious to see what direction it’s taken in. It’s really about wrapping things up and servicing the core Clark family story and coming up with some sort of transition, which feels like we’re getting a degree of closure but also opening up a new door.”

The Season 2 finale of Fear the Walking Dead saw Madison Clark (Kim Dickens) and Alicia (Alycia Debnam-Carey) reunited with Travis Manawa (Cliff Curtis) after the death of his son, Chris (Lorenzo James Henrie). Nick Clark (Frank Dillane) and Luciana (Danay Garcia) ended up surrounded by armed gunmen at the U.S.-Mexico border. However, it is Ofelia Salazar’s (Mercedes Mason) involvement with a new group, headed by a man named Jeremiah Otto (Dayton Callie) in Season 3 of Fear the Walking Dead that Erickson really wants to talk about.

“They’re essentially a group of preppers who prepared for the end of democracy, not necessarily the rise of the dead. They were well ahead of the curve compared to most people in the apocalypse. That’s where we start. As the season plays out, and this is something we’ve explored before but we do it in a deeper and darker way this season: what are you willing to do for security? What are you willing to do when you lock down on the resource of the day and the currency that currently matters in the apocalypse? What are you willing to do to protect it, and who are you willing to become?”

As has been seen in recent images from Season 3 of Fear, Madison’s group will also end up involved with Jeremiah Otto’s group, indicating a reunion between the Clarks and Ofelia is also happening in Season 3. However, Dave Erickson hints Madison will have to work out whether she really wants to align herself with such a group.

“Fundamentally, the question for Madison this season is what happens if you align yourself with somebody you know has reprehensible traits,” Erickson reveals.

Dave also points out that, while they could never have predicted Season 3 of Fear the Walking Dead would fall in such a politically charged time as now with Donald Trump being elected the president on the United States, he had always planned for this season to be the “border season.”

“That plan predates President Trump. But now, in the wake of the election, it resonates and echoes a little bit more.”

You can view the new trailer for Season 3 of Fear the Walking Dead below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=22&v=iHlNSgbKv6Q

The official synopsis for Season 3 of Fear the Walking Dead is below.

“As Fear the Walking Dead returns for season three, our families will be brought together in the vibrant and violent region formerly known as the U.S.-Mexico border. International lines done away with following the world’s end, our characters must attempt to rebuild not only society, but family as well. Madison has reconnected with Travis, her apocalyptic partner, but Alicia has been fractured by her murder of Andres. Madison’s son is only a few miles from his mother, but Nick’s first action as a leader saw him and Luciana ambushed by an American militia group – the couple escaped death, Luciana was shot, and Nick no longer feels immortal. Recovering both emotionally and physically, Strand has his sights set on harnessing the new world’s currency, and Ofelia’s captivity will test her ability to survive and see if she can muster the savagery of her father.”

Are you looking forward to Season 3 of Fear the Walking Dead? Let us know your thoughts and theories by commenting below.

Fear the Walking Dead returns to AMC with Season 3 on Sunday, June 4, at 9 p.m. ET.

[Featured Image by AMC]