‘The Walking Dead’: Something ‘Awesome’ Came Out of the Pandemic Production Delay, According to the Cast
The coronavirus pandemic derailed plans to begin production in the spring on The Walking Dead Season 11. Months later, as the cast and crew ramp up to produce new episodes, they could not help but point out one “awesome” result of the delay.
The pandemic did not stop the creative juices from flowing in ‘The Walking Dead’ writers’ room
Entertainment Weekly reported that production for season 11 of The Walking Dead was to launch in May. That did not happen after the coronavirus outbreak caused Hollywood to shut down. But showrunner, Angela Kang, told The Hollywood Reporter that the writers were still busily crafting season 11 storylines.
She told the outlet, “I’m a tech-head. We do video conferences regularly. On a normal basis, I’m very stringent about, ‘If you’re sick, don’t come into the office.’ The other day, I was on the phone and in meetings from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., all day straight. I did Skype, I did FaceTime, I did Zoom, I did remote reviewing of VFX. We are very well set up to work remotely. That’s been fine for us.”
Since the spring, the writers and producers have added six season 10 bonus episodes to the mix, as discussed during a New York Comic-Con panel. Kang was joined on the panel by Walking Dead Universe Chief Content Officer Scott M. Gimple and cast members, including Norman Reedus, Melissa McBride, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Khary Payton, and Paola Lázaro. Chris Hardwick served as the moderator.
The cast and crew pointed out 1 ‘awesome’ effect of the production delay
As noted by Morgan during the New York Comic-Con panel, The Walking Dead delayed production until fall.
“You know what’s going to be nice is starting work later and kind of working into the heat as opposed to going there and wanting to die at the start,” said Morgan. “That’s going to be kind of nice, I think.”
The show typically shoots episodes in Georgia during the late spring and summer months when the average high temperatures are in the upper 80s, with potential for extreme temperatures from 90 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Fall weather in Georgia is much cooler with average high temperatures in the 60s and 70s.
With the chillier season in mind, Khary Payton pointed out the characters’ cold-weather wardrobe, saying, “Ezekiel was always clothed as if it was winter. I think we all were. I mean, Negan’s got a leather jacket on from the jump. I got on like four layers of rubber and long johns…”
“I have to wear a sofa,” Lázaro jumped in. “I’m wearing a sofa, literally.”
After a burst of laugher, Payton declared, “We’re built for November. We’re not built for July.”
“So, the first few months, it’s going to be awesome,” Morgan summarized.
Kang agreed, “It’s nice shooting that time of year.”
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