When the series returns with new episodes in just a few short months, ‘Fear the Walking Dead‘ will feature quite a significant change in its fourth season from its previous three: for the first time ever, the “little brother” series to the juggernaut ‘The Walking Dead’ will be directly crossing over with the original series, courtesy of the appearance of character Morgan (Lennie James) in a multi-episode story arc.
In a recent interview, ‘Walking Dead’ creator Robert Kirkman – who also functions as an executive producer for both TV shows – spoke at length about the crossover, focusing specifically on the genesis of the idea:
“When we started ‘Fear the Walking Dead,’ the original idea actually included some things that would eventually tie in with the other show. We wanted to give it a few seasons to find its sea legs, so to speak, and make sure that it stood on its own and provided its own experience. The goal was that eventually, once we had established that, we would find some kind of creative way to tie things in.
“When [showrunner] Scott [M. Gimple] suggested moving Morgan over, it seemed like a really great idea and a really cool way to bring things in. I know the audience doesn’t really know exactly how that makes sense yet, or what’s actually coming of it. As the year progresses and you see exactly what it is, you’ll see that it’s going to be a really great story for Morgan that will give us a lot of cool insight into his character.”
For fans who are concerned that this is nothing more than a publicity stunt to help boost ratings for the spin-off ‘Fear,’ Kirkman enthusiastically denies those allegations:
“It’s going to be a lot of really great stuff for Lennie James to do. Lennie James’ presence with that established cast in Fear the Walking Dead is going to change everything for them, and give them so much more new stuff to play off of, and really change the story in an interesting way that I feel like is going to kick start that show, and really get the engines roaring on that one.
“Walking Dead is at its best when it’s constantly evolving. Having Season 3 be a very fast-paced season that introduces a lot of new elements, it kind of shakes things up quite a bit and is a great appetizer to what we have planned for Season 4, which is really going to ramp that up quite a bit.
“I don’t want to spoil anything story-wise, but we are changing things a great deal. It’s going to be a much different show that is not going to alienate any viewers that have been enjoying the show from season 1 to 3, but will give those people new things to love, and new characters to latch onto. It’s really going to shake things up.”
The new season of ‘Fear the Walking Dead’ premiers on April 15, 2018, on AMC.
