Since Fear the Walking Dead went on hiatus, fans have been sharing any shred of information about the new series that they can find. Fortunately, Den of Geek recently sat down with show-runner Dave Erickson to discuss what is coming next on Fear the Walking Dead . With 15 episodes scheduled for the new season, there will be plenty of time to get the story moving along at a faster clip and to learn more about the survivors. Erickson threw out a teaser saying, “There will be quite a bit of action on the seas — and we’ll split it between land and water. But it’s going to be an interesting dynamic.”
During last season’s Fear the Walking Dead finale Madison (Kim Dickens), Travis (Cliff Curtis) and the others follow an enigmatic and mysterious character that goes by the name of Strand (Colman Domingo), to his rather impressive mansion. Once there, he reveals that he has a yacht, which they can see from the house. He then tells them that no one can stay at the house and that he plans to leave on the yacht. So where would they go? Erickson throws out an interesting and informative teaser.
“They know the city has fallen and know things are incredibly bad and they know that this is happening in other states and potentially other countries but they haven’t had anybody say to them, ‘The world is over; this is our extinction event.’ That’s something they’ll have to process as they move through season two as well. If I were them, I’d be thinking that there has to be some place to go. Maybe it’s an island. I don’t know. But there’s got to be a place where this contagion hasn’t touched. But we the audience know that’s not true and that will be the next blow that they suffer.”
Once on the water, they will undoubtedly face other obstacles. Some threats may be in the form of other people who may want what they have, or perhaps they will have engine or equipment failure of some type. One thing they may not have to worry about is whether the “infected” on Fear the Walking Dead , which is what the zombies are being called at this time, can find their way onto the boat.
“My understanding is that walkers can’t swim. The Governor killed somebody and tossed him into the lake. You see the walker underwater, he’s submerged and is trying to get up. I think there was something weighing him down so he couldn’t float. I have to confirm this with Robert [Kirkman] but walkers can’t swim—I’m sure they’d eventually bloat.”
Show Biz Junkies theorized that if the Clark and Salazar families board the yacht (it seems fairly certain that they will, given what Erickson says), that the most interesting thing for them to do would be to disembark the first time they stop in a new city, where they can then add more survivors to their group. As past experience with The Walking Dead has shown and what most viewers know, sometimes that can be a good thing, but it usually doesn’t turn out well. Only time will tell what will happen and speaking of time, Erickson says that when Fear the Walking Dead returns there will be a time jump, but not too much time will have passed.
“There’s too much emotional weight coming off of the finale and the loss of Liza and Griselda. We didn’t want to jump too far because there’s an obligation to see the aftermath of that and see how that impacts our characters as they try to wrestle with it.”
In regard to character backstories, fans are very interested in hearing more about Madison and Strand in particular. Erickson definitely got viewers’ attention when he appeared on The Talking Dead after Fear the Walking Dead’s season finale, and he mentioned Madison’s accent and how that may play into learning more about her. Immediately there was speculation that perhaps she is related to Rick, Daryl, or someone else from The Walking Dead world.
Gale Ann Hurd discussed Strand with Deadline Hollywood saying that they never had a character quite like him and that.
“He’s very much a character who has survived and succeeds by his wits and his ability to negotiate in a complex urban society.”
Strand is definitely someone to watch, he has the ability to quickly assess people and decide if he can make a relationship with them mutually beneficial. Such quick-thinking skills will come in quite handy when a snap decision can either save or end your life.
Although Fear the Walking Dead is currently on hiatus, it is fairly safe to assume that the new season will begin sometime around June, 2016. Greg Nicotero, executive producer of both The Walking Dead and Fear the Walking Dead , told the Daily Dead that shooting season 2 will begin sometime in November or December, and that the plan is to have either Fear the Walking Dead or The Walking Dead on every week of the year. An ambitious, but definitely attainable goal.
Are you a fan of Fear the Walking Dead ? What do you think about the new season teasers? Leave your comments, thoughts, and opinions below.