THE WALKING DEAD: WORLD BEYOND
Beyond DeadW W W.SCI FI N OW.CO.U K |^039
of the outside world. “They’ve taken courses
in how to kill the undead, but they’ve never
actually done it,” Negrete explains. In
most Walking Dead shows, the characters
fi nd themselves plunged into a monstrous
nightmare with no warning, but in World
Beyond the characters intentionally “make a
decision to go out into the world and to put
themselves in danger”, Negrete says, “to save
someone who is very important to them.”
The other obvious element that sets World
Beyond apart from the other Walking Dead
shows is the ages of its protagonists. Negrete
tells us that he’s always loved coming-of-age
stories, citing Stand By Me as a favourite
because “these kids start out as one thing
and by the end of their trip they’ve all
been changed. The idea of these characters
learning about themselves through this
grand adventure, I just jumped at it, I loved
that idea.” Once he and Gimple startedtalking through plans for a new series, they
knew quickly that a younger set of characters
was the right direction to take. “When we
started talking about the kind of things we
could explore with a younger cast and a
younger set of characters, all of a sudden the
ideas were just rolling and rolling, almost
like we couldn’t stop. In a matter of just a
few weeks we’d come pretty close to mapping
out the entire season.”
Because of the younger cast, Negrete
thinks that the show could attract a younger
audience than the other TWD shows. “There
are a lot of things going on in society today,
for example, where young people have a
voice... and they’re not afraid to express it,
and that’s kind of the thing that makes this
show relevant. I think that’s why it will track
with a younger audience.” The Walking Dead
has always attracted a broader audience
than you would expect from a zombie horror
show, and Negrete believes that World
Beyond will be no different, especially as
coming-of-age stories are about as universal
as you can get. “Everyone remembers coming
of age, and the kind of emotions that you
felt when you had your fi rst kiss or your
fi rst crush, or you fi nd your voice for the
fi rst time. Everyone can relate to that feeling
of trying to fi gure out who you are, who
you want to be.” He also adds that, while
Walking Dead fans will enjoy exploring a
new corner of the universe, a knowledge of
the franchise is not necessary to enjoy World
Beyond, and so he hopes it can work as a
jumping-on point for new viewers.THE EVER-GROWING WORLD OF
THE WALKING DEAD
From the fl agship show to the mooted Rick Grimes spin-off movie, the world of The Walking Dead is
bigger than ever, with Scott Gimple overseeing it all. “He has the vision for this expanding universe
we’re exploring,” Matthew Negrete explains. But how does that work, logistically, when multiple
different creative teams are working on different shows? “[Gimple] is the one that can pitch broadstrokes
concepts, but more importantly he has been great at giving every show the same autonomy and letting
us take the show where we’re going to take it. For him it’s all about... how the pieces of the puzzle work
together.” So Gimple will let the various showrunners know if they’re doing something that clashes with
one of the other shows or fi lms. “It’s great to have someone who can be there to consult and to help us
craft the best stories that we can tell,” Negrete says. “But he’s also fantastic at stepping back and letting
us do our own thing and letting us have a lot of creative freedom as well.”“THE IDEA OF THESE CHARACTERS
LEARNING ABOUT THEMSELVES
THROUGH THIS GRAND ADVENTURE,
I JUST JUMPED AT IT.”
MATTHEW NEGRETETen years on, the Walkers are
in a different state of decay...THE WALKING DEAD: WORLD BEYOND
Beyond DeadW W W.SCI FI N OW.CO.U K |^039
of the outside world. “They’ve taken courses
in how to kill the undead, but they’ve never
actually done it,” Negrete explains. In
most Walking Dead shows, the characters
fi nd themselves plunged into a monstrous
nightmare with no warning, but in World
Beyond the characters intentionally “make a
decision to go out into the world and to put
themselves in danger”, Negrete says, “to save
someone who is very important to them.”
The other obvious element that sets World
Beyond apart from the other Walking Dead
shows is the ages of its protagonists. Negrete
tells us that he’s always loved coming-of-age
stories, citing Stand By Me as a favourite
because “these kids start out as one thing
and by the end of their trip they’ve all
been changed. The idea of these characters
learning about themselves through this
grand adventure, I just jumped at it, I loved
that idea.” Once he and Gimple startedtalking through plans for a new series, they
knew quickly that a younger set of characters
was the right direction to take. “When we
started talking about the kind of things we
could explore with a younger cast and a
younger set of characters, all of a sudden the
ideas were just rolling and rolling, almost
like we couldn’t stop. In a matter of just a
few weeks we’d come pretty close to mapping
out the entire season.”
Because of the younger cast, Negrete
thinks that the show could attract a younger
audience than the other TWD shows. “There
are a lot of things going on in society today,
for example, where young people have a
voice... and they’re not afraid to express it,
and that’s kind of the thing that makes this
show relevant. I think that’s why it will track
with a younger audience.” The Walking Dead
has always attracted a broader audience
than you would expect from a zombie horror
show, and Negrete believes that World
Beyond will be no different, especially as
coming-of-age stories are about as universal
as you can get. “Everyone remembers coming
of age, and the kind of emotions that you
felt when you had your fi rst kiss or your
fi rst crush, or you fi nd your voice for the
fi rst time. Everyone can relate to that feeling
of trying to fi gure out who you are, who
you want to be.” He also adds that, while
Walking Dead fans will enjoy exploring a
new corner of the universe, a knowledge of
the franchise is not necessary to enjoy World
Beyond, and so he hopes it can work as a
jumping-on point for new viewers.THE EVER-GROWING WORLD OF
THE WALKING DEAD
From the fl agship show to the mooted Rick Grimes spin-off movie, the world of The Walking Dead is
bigger than ever, with Scott Gimple overseeing it all. “He has the vision for this expanding universe
we’re exploring,” Matthew Negrete explains. But how does that work, logistically, when multiple
different creative teams are working on different shows? “[Gimple] is the one that can pitch broadstrokes
concepts, but more importantly he has been great at giving every show the same autonomy and letting
us take the show where we’re going to take it. For him it’s all about... how the pieces of the puzzle work
together.” So Gimple will let the various showrunners know if they’re doing something that clashes with
one of the other shows or fi lms. “It’s great to have someone who can be there to consult and to help us
craft the best stories that we can tell,” Negrete says. “But he’s also fantastic at stepping back and letting
us do our own thing and letting us have a lot of creative freedom as well.”“THE IDEA OF THESE CHARACTERS
LEARNING ABOUT THEMSELVES
THROUGH THIS GRAND ADVENTURE,
I JUST JUMPED AT IT.”
MATTHEW NEGRETETen years on, the Walkers are
in a different state of decay...