Friday, July 13, 2012

Comic-Con 2012: 'The Walking Dead' Cast, EPs Spill on Season 3, Shocking 100th Issue

The Walking Dead Season 3 Ep 1 Rick - H 2012
Gene Page/AMC
"The Walking Dead's" Andrew Lincoln

AMC's The Walking Dead kicked off its busy Friday -- hours before the season three trailer world premieres at its Hall H panel -- with a breakfast news conference with international press, where the cast and creators dropped hints about what's to come.

During the intimate breakfast, held on the rooftop of the Andaz Hotel in San Diego, comic creator Robert Kirkman was honored with Spike's Game Changer Award and touched on the shocking events of the monumental 100th issue of the Image comic on which the zombie series is based.

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Here are 11 teasers from the cast and creators.

[Warning: Spoilers for the AMC series and Image Comics/Skybound title ahead!]

1. The season three tagline is, "Fight the dead, fear the living." "AMC thought of it, but I'll totally take credit for it," Kirkman deadpanned.

2. The prison, first seen in the closing moments of the season two finale, will (shocker!) not be as safe as you'd think. "In previous seasons we had our group trying to settle down in different places and hide from the zombies, and now they're out in the world and their entire landscape has fallen and there's no safe place," showrunner Glen Mazzara reveals. "The prison looks like it would be safe, so they really have to take that on. It's someplace that they're willing to fight and die for."

3. Rick will reach his breaking point. "Rick gets pushed and pushed, and this season there's a point at which he reaches that point where he breaks," Andrew Lincoln says. "I believe the expression is 'bat-shit crazy.' The past few weeks have been crazy." Looks like the Ricktatorship has only just begun.

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4. Walking Dead is still at its heart a story about a flawed family. "It's been a really horrible marriage," Sarah Wayne Callies says of Lori's union with Rick. "What the walkers allow us to do is push that family beyond the limits of who they ever thought they'd become. You have two people who are so mired in loss and self-hatred for the attrition of their best selves that they can no longer reach one another. "

5. Norman Reedus says his racist older brother's return will put Daryl in a challenging predicament. "Daryl is Merle's younger brother, and he's been constantly put down and humiliated and was never really good enough," he says of his character's backstory. "Once Merle is out of the picture and other people start to see Daryl's worth, he starts feeling like he's part of the group. They welcome him in; it's the reverse role of the rest of [Rick's group]: They're being torn away from things, and he's found a world that he can flourish in."

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6. Andrea has something she's never had before on the series. "Michonne [Danai Gurira] saved her at the end of season two, and they become the best of friends," Laurie Holden reveals. "There's these two alpha females that are strong who have embraced each other and trust one another and are trying to survive and have each other's backs."

7. Andrea still doesn't know about Shane now that she's been separated from the group. "It'll be interesting to see when she meets up with the rest of the survivors -- they didn't leave me a note on the highway. I'm not bitter or anything!" Holden says. "It'll be interesting to see if they reunite, what happens when she finds out about Shane. A lot happens during the winter; it changes you."

8. Steven Yeun is aware of the shocking revelation of the 100th issue. "There's a lot going on for Glen right now," he joked of his role on the AMC series and his comic book counterpart. "The [100th] issue was awesome. It's cool that I get to play a character that Robert chose to keep around that long, but man, it's so twisted! It takes three pages to get him, and each frame is that much more disgusting. Glen saw the frame this morning for the first time and said, 'Yeah, you're not coming back from that, you're just a pile of mush and eyeballs.'" Added Kirkman: "It was worked out very far in advance, and it was something that I was building toward for a long time. It was very difficult to write because things do upset me."

9. New series regular Lauren Cohan has "huge changes" coming in season three. "I'm leaving the farm and heading to a totally new world," she says. "She hasn't seen what's out in the new world that the group has seen. She's also badass now, it'll be a shock to see what the group goes through and what this farm family goes through."

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10. Gurira is beyond excited to play someone who's so badass -- and smart. "She's insanely sharp and knows how to make things work for herself; she's figured out how to navigate this world," she says of her two zombie companions whose arms and jaw she has chopped off. "If they don't have jaws or arms; they can't do anything to her."

11. David Morrissey is amped up to play another evil villain in the famed character of The Governor. "I think he's terribly misunderstood, but you'll have to wait until the season to see just how bad he gets," he teases.

Stay tuned to THR's The Live Feed blog for full coverage from San Diego's Comic-Con, including the season three trailer, premiere date and more from the cast of The Walking Dead.

Email: Lesley.Goldberg@thr.com; Twitter: @Snoodit


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