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'The Walking Dead' just introduced a tiger onto the show — here's how it was made for TV

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morgan carol

Warning: There are spoilers ahead for "The Walking Dead."

Sunday's "The Walking Dead" finally introduced two anticipated characters from the comics onto the show. The series took a break from Rick and the gang after the bloodbath of the season seven premiere to introduce viewers to the Kingdom, another community with survivors from the apocalpyse. 

The big surprise to some may have been the reveal of the Kingdom's leader, a man who goes by King Ezekiel and rules over his realm with a ferocious tiger, Shiva.

ezekiel the walking dead shiva

Fans loved it.

Exactly.

Carol (Melissa McBride) was immediately skeptical of the too-good-to-be true settlement after a few encounters with various enclosures over the past six seasons.

carol walking dead

If you weren't buying the fairytale either — King Ezekiel quotes were plastered across various walls inside the Kingdom — there's nothing to worry about. Ezekiel's the real deal. 

Introduced in issue #108 of the comic, Ezekiel is good friends with Jesus/Paul Monroe who entered the show last season. We haven't seen the two interact in the the series yet, but we wouldn't be surprised if we see Jesus visit the Kingdom at some point this season.

the walking dead 108

rick jesus kingdom

As hinted throughout the episode, Ezekiel may become a great asset and ally to Rick and the Alexandrians down the line. Ezekiel's Kingdom also has a deal going on with the Saviors in which they need to provide them with supplies and/or food.

If you don't read the comics, you were probably most curious about the tiger, Shiva, who was first teased in the season seven trailer that debuted at San Diego Comic-Con this summer.

Did "The Walking Dead" have a real tiger fill in as inspiration for the Kingdom's royal feline?

INSIDER asked "The Walking Dead" creator Robert Kirkman and showrunner Scott Gimple about bringing the tiger to life on the series and Kirkman confirmed that Shiva is CGI.

shiva tiger walking dead

"I was asking Scott [Gimple], 'How do we plan on doing this thing?' He pointed out that it's not particularly humane to have like a live tiger on set and it's also very dangerous for the actors," Kirkman told us at San Diego Comic-Con.

Though there wasn't a real tiger used on set, Kirkman poked fun at what it would have been like if one was there.

"When we needed it to really act, we wouldn't feed it," joked Kirkman. "But yeah, so I was like, 'Great! No real tiger. I can still come to set. That sounds awesome because I would not have gone to set if there had been a real tiger anywhere near set. So there's no real tiger at all. It's all magic."

"It's the dragon from 'Game of Thrones,' shrunk, slightly changed in proportions," showrunner Scott Gimple interjected. "And we add ..." 

"Tiger lens," Kirkman suggested.

"Yeah. It's just a filter," Gimple played along. "You guys don't have that on your phones?"

Can't say that we do unfortunately. But we'd love anything combining "Game of Thrones" and "The Walking Dead."

During "The Walking Dead" aftershow, "Talking Dead," the crew revealed a bit about how they mixed digital and practical effects to bring Shiva to life.

While there was plenty of CGI, there was an animatronic tiger on set too.

shiva the walking dead

"The biggest challenge with any of this stuff is merging the practical with the digital," said executive producer and episode director Greg Nicotero on "The Talking Dead.""For seven years, we've been doing all these dead, horrible things, so to build something that's so beautiful and so elegant [it's something] I've been excited about since day one."

Later on, the crew added in how the muscles would move along with other nuances.

shiva digital effects walking deadshiva digital effects

You can see more of how Shiva was created below:

What did you think of Shiva and Ezekiel's entrance onto "The Walking Dead"?

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: There's a good reason 'The Walking Dead' creator doesn't use the word 'zombie'


Here's the preview for next week's episode of 'The Walking Dead'

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dwight the walking dead

If Sunday's "The Walking Dead" left you hoping for a bit more of the aftermath from the season seven premiere, you may want to watch the preview for next week. 

AMC has released not one, but two previews for next Sunday's episode and it looks like it will focus a lot more on the Saviors' encampment, The Sanctuary.

Not only will we see more of Dwight (Austin Amelio), but we'll also see more of Daryl (Norman Reedus) and learn what life is like for him with the Saviors. It's not looking great.

First, check out the preview for next week below:

Then check out a brief teaser for a scene with Dwight at the Sanctuary:

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Fans think 'The Walking Dead' may make a big change to one character's storyline

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carol the walking dead season seven

Warning: There are spoilers for "The Walking Dead" ahead.

This didn't take long!

The second episode of "The Walking Dead" season seven introduced fans to yet another settlement that cropped up in the wake of the zombie apocalypse, The Kingdom. While fans were excited to meet new characters including King Ezekiel and his pet tiger Shiva, more fans were excited at the possibility of a budding new romance between Ezekiel and fan favorite Carol.

Fans even came up with a couple name already for the two: Carzekiel.

Though skeptical of the Kingdom and King Ezekiel at first, it seems like Carol may be warming up to the King, especially after he sat her down and came clean with her about the whole "fantasy world" of the Kingdom.

carol walking deadwalking dead ezekiel

As Ezekiel later told Carol, his people needed someone to follow, so he acted the part of a larger-than-life being. As someone who has been living through life faking it — we learn that Ezekiel was a zookeeper who tended to Shiva before the outbreak — he was able to easily see that Carol was also putting on a fake cheery persona in the Kingdom. He saw right through her as she saw through him.

king ezekiel walking deadwalking dead carol

"When you are pretending and being something that you're not and inside you know that that's a fraudlent personality that the world is seeing, it's nice to be able to shed that once in a while and talk to someone who's doing very much the same thing," said executive producer Gale Ann Hurd in a behind-the-scenes clip for the show.

ezekiel carol the walking dead

In the comics, it's a different character who catches Ezekiel's eye — the show's resident katana-wielding badass Michonne.

However, the series decided to switch up her character from the comics by pairing her off with the show's lead, Rick last season to the excitement of many fans who have been 'shipping Richonne for years (including yours truly).

the walking dead michonne rick

As much as her relationship with Ezekiel is a killer one in the comics, we're into jumping onto the Carzekiel ship.

Why?

Well, in the comics, it's Michonne who Ezekiel reveals his true self to before asking her to keep this between the two of them. We saw that scene play out between Carol and the King Sunday night.

walking dead ezekiel michonnecarol ezekiel the walking dead

Fans have been calling Carol the show's queen for awhile and she may have just met her actual royal match.

Even actor Khary Payton who plays Ezekiel on the show is predicting the two will get together. On the series aftershow, "Talking Dead," Payton had a simple answer for why Ezekiel dropped by to visit Carol at the episode's end.

"He's trying to get laid," Payton said. "You come bearing fruit, yeah!"

"He put on a different shirt," he added. "You know how hard it is to get another shirt in the apocalypse? There's not like an outlet store nearby."

Payton told The Hollywood Reporter that he's not sure if a relationship between the two will happen but he sees "enough of an attraction for there to be a relationship down the road."

Of course, that leaves another important question up in the air: What about Daryl!?

carol daryl the walking dead

For years, the fandom has been hoping that Daryl and Carol would pair up. Seeing that Daryl's trapped with the Saviors at the moment, it doesn't look like he has much of a chance. 

Sorry Daryl. 

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: There's a good reason 'The Walking Dead' creator doesn't use the word 'zombie'

'The Walking Dead' fans have become instantly obsessed with a new minor character

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jerry the walking dead

Warning: There are spoilers ahead for "The Walking Dead."

Sunday's episode of "The Walking Dead" was a lot more lighthearted than the season seven premiere. After losing a few big characters, the season's second episode focused on introducing a bunch of new characters in a new territory called The Kingdom.

While comic fans were excited to see King Ezekiel and his tiger Shiva adapted on the small screen, the most unexpected new character was Ezekiel's pun-filled steward Jerry.

Fans were immediately taken with him.

How could you not be when he throws in a line like this?

King Ezekiel: "Drink from the well replenish the well."
Carol: "... All about the well."
Jerry: "WELL said."

Jerry even seemed to take over immediately for now-fallen hero Abraham by throwing up a peace sign later in Sunday's episode. As we know, peace signs were totally Abraham's thing. (That might have been a bit too soon, Jerry.)

One Redditor even compared to him as a "Game of Thrones" fan favorite, describing him as "Hodor with a sense of humor."

So, who is the man behind Jerry?

Jerry's played by actor Cooper Andrews who you may have noticed on another AMC series, "Halt and Catch Fire." He has also appeared on episodes of CBS shows "Hawaii Five-0" and "Limitless."

cooper andrews halt catch fire

Comicbook.com thinks Jerry could be the Hugo Reyes ("Lost") of "The Walking Dead."

Maybe. Just maybe.

We're not pushing it yet, though.

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: There's a good reason 'The Walking Dead' creator doesn't use the word 'zombie'

10 details you may have missed on Sunday's episode of 'The Walking Dead'

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carol drink from well walking dead

Warning: There are spoilers ahead for "The Walking Dead."

Sunday's "The Walking Dead" introduced us to a lot ofnew faces living in the zombie apocalypse.

If you thought episode two was a little slow-moving after the season seven premiere, you may have missed a few callbacks to previous seasons and hints at future storylines.

Keep reading to see 10 things you probably missed on Sunday's episode.

Morgan starts carving arrows into trees and mailbox posts. This isn't the first time we've seen him turn to symbols to find his way.



In season five, Morgan had followed markings left on trees by the cannibals in Terminus.

He finally came upon a map of Washington, DC, with Rick's name on it that led him to Alexandria.



Horses don't seem to do so well in the apocalypse. Sunday night, we saw one of the Kingdom's horses get torn apart by walkers.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

'The Walking Dead' hired 5 sets of twins to play zombies in those mysterious visions on Sunday’s episode

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carol walking dead

Warning: There are spoilers ahead for Sunday’s "The Walking Dead."

"The Walking Dead" introduced a lot of new characters in Sunday's episode — including a tiger! But you may not have noticed the five sets of twins who were brought in to create one of the night's most bizarre moments.

Carol's mysterious visions at the start of the episode weren't explored much in Sunday's episode, but in the visions, Carol starts seeing what the zombies looked like while they were still human and before they were dead.

In a behind-the-scenes video on the making of the episode, executive producer Greg Nicotero explained Carol was flashing between the living world and the dead. While we don't learn more about those odd flashes for now, the "Talking Dead" aftershow said the series had five sets of twins on the show to bring Carol’s surreal visions to life.

the walking dead twins

"My immediate response to that was, ‘Well, we should hire twins,'" said Nicotero. "From a production standpoint, we would film the twin in the clean wardrobe and then we’d bring the walker version in in the aged wardrobe and the zombie makeup and composite them in."

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VFX supervisor Victor Scalise said one of the challenges of filming the scenes twice was making sure that the lighting and the positions were exactly the same. Slight differences would determine how jarring the scene could wind up.

Here are a few of them from Sunday night's episode:

walking dead zombie twinswalking dead zombies

You can check out the feature below which also shows how the series' new tiger was brought to life:

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A 'Walking Dead' actor makes a really good point about the show's new villain that will force you to rethink the character

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morgan walking dead

Warning: There are spoilers for "The Walking Dead" ahead.

The latest villain on "The Walking Dead" may seem like he's nothing more than a sociopath after the brutal blood bath of the season seven premiere, but one actor on the show actually sees some similarities between Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) and some of the other show's community leaders.

On the series' aftershow "Talking Dead," Lennie James, who plays Morgan, opened up about why his character doesn't mind the fantasy world of the show's newest leader, King Ezekiel (Khary Payton). 

Surprisingly, he said Negan and Ezekiel aren't too different — despite all the bloodshed spilled from the former.

negan ezekiel

"All the leaders we come across, to a great or lesser extent, are playing a role," said James. "There is nothing, as far as theatricality is concerned, that really differs between Negan and Ezekiel. They're both archetypes. It's just that Negan ain't such a nice guy. Negan puts on a show. Every time he comes out to play with Lucille, he's putting on a show and Ezekiel's just putting on a different kind of show to make people believe and hold onto him."

That's an interesting way of looking at it — even Jeffrey Dean Morgan himself has described Negan as a bit of a showman. At New York Comic Con earlier this month he said Negan sees this new world as his stage and he owns it.

the walking dead negan

James then compared Negan to the show's main protagonist for the past several years, Rick. 

"The guy we've been following is a town sheriff who wears a holster and a gun at his side and a bloody cowboy hat," James adds. "So, everybody is playing a role. All the leaders are playing a role, it's just that Ezekiel's [role] is one of being the King and I think if you've got a pet tiger, you can be whatever you like."

rick grimes walking deadthe walking dead shiva tiger

Crazy. I guess if you were to think about it, all of the leaders of every community are, to some extent, just putting on a show in order to keep the peace during the apocalypse (as much as they can). 

But, as James points out, despite whatever show all three of the community leaders may be putting on, Negan is still the meanest of the bunch.

We'll get to see more of Negan and his Saviors on the next episode of "The Walking Dead."

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NOW WATCH: How 'The Walking Dead' fans think they'd survive the zombie apocalypse

15 things you didn't know about 'The Walking Dead' zombies

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walking dead decaying zombies

The INSIDER Summary:

  • The zombies, or "Walkers" in "The Walking Dead" take up a significant part of the television series.
  • Guts are made from pickled ham. 
  • It takes about two hours to turn into a zombie.

Yeah, Rick Grimes is cool. Glenn is adorable. Daryl has nice hair. Michonne wields a samurai sword. And Negan is…. Negan-y. But the real draw of The Walking Dead are all those mindless killing machines just waiting to take a bite out of our favorite survivors. After all, you can’t have a zombie apocalypse without a Walker or two knocking at your door.

Even for those who have read all the comics and watch Talking Dead religiously, there is still a thing or two you might not know about these roaming meat puppets. Whether it’s how much walkers make for a living or why they don’t like to be called zombies, everyone’s favorite slow-moving lamebrains have made a career of catching us by surprise. We’ve already taken a look at the things you didn’t know about The Walking Dead in general, so how about now we zero in on the undead stars of the show.

Here are 15 Things You Didn’t Know About Walkers.

15. The guts they eat are made from pickled ham

As surprising as it may be, the human flesh walkers eat on the show is not really made from humans. It’s actually something far more disgusting – hams soaked in vinegar. Originally they were covered in barbecue sauce, but when that kept ruining their makeup, so the hams were plunged into a huge vat of vinegar to give it a nice oozy sheen. Understandably, after watching walkers chow down on their friends like a pack of wild hyenas during Christmas, many of the show’s actors have admitted to going off meat altogether.

One exception to the hammed guts main course, was the death of Dale. This was actually one of the more expensive deaths filmed (not counting CGI costs) because they used boneless chicken breasts for his innards. But regardless of what type of marinaded meat the show is serving up that day, if you’re hoping to be an extra on The Walking Dead and are a vegetarian, you might be out of luck.



14. All blinks are edited out using CGI

Have you ever noticed that walkers never seem to blink? That is because all the extras playing them are told to keep their eyelids in check. After all, what need does a walking corpse have for moistening their eyeballs? But every once in a while there is no stopping the blinks and so a CGI artists has to edit them out in post-production.

Because you can’t legally remove the eyelids of extras on a television set, this means some poor person has to comb through hours upon hours of footage to catch all those split-second eye flutters that no one noticed in the moment. Which just sounds like one of the most boring jobs you could ever get on The Walking Dead set. But that’s just the kind of attention to detail that makes the show so great. And why walkers are the absolute worst to have a staring contest with.



13. All walkers must attend zombie school

Having to convincingly eat the intestines of an entire family is a huge responsibility. Which is why the creators of The Walking Dead leave nothing to chance and put all their extras through Zombie School. Which is just like regular school only funner and with less biting.

Each season a new crop of people are auditioned to have the honor of trying to kill the show’s remaining survivors. Of the thousands who turn up, only a lucky few are selected and then promptly put through a rigorous training program to bring out their inner zombie. Afterwards they are graded on two criteria: look and performance. Although size, gender, and age don’t really matter, the show prefers thinner, more gaunt extras with a specific bone structure who won’t appear fluffed up when prosthetic makeup is applied. More discerningly, they require a genuine and authentic delivery. Because no one wants a walker around who’s faking it.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Here's what the cast of 'The Walking Dead' looks like in real life

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danai gurira andrew lincoln

"The Walking Dead" cast may be covered in blood, dirt, and guts while fending off zombie herds in the apocalypse, but in real life they clean up pretty well.

Some of the cast members wear wigs and prosthetics that would make them look nearly recognizable off of the Atlanta, Georgia, set.  

Keep reading to see how the cast of the AMC series looks when they're not fighting for their lives.

Rick Grimes is constantly covered in blood, zombie guts, and is looking worse for the wear in the zombie apocalypse.



43-year-old British actor Andrew Lincoln keeps the beard in the off season but it's a lot whiter.



Michonne recently began a relationship with Rick, her long-time partner-in-crime, to the delight of many fans.

You can read more about the surprise Richonne pairing here and how it's been in the work for years, here.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

This 'Walking Dead' actor is doing double duty right now on two of TV's best shows

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simon walking dead

It's been a week since the most brutal episode ever, so fans have had some time to process major deaths in The Walking Dead Season 7 premiere. Now we can start to look more closely at other parts of the episode and new characters, such as Negan's “right-hand man,” Simon.

Played on the AMC Series by Steven Ogg, Simon isn't a character in the comic books that the Walking Dead is based on, which means we have no idea what's in store for him and can't turn to the source material for hints. None of the Saviors in the comics seem to have much in common with Simon, so he's similar to Daryl in that sense. He gets to remain mysterious and anything he does will surprise viewers.

We first met Simon at the very end of Season 6, when Rick’s group attempted to get to Hilltop Colony and their way was blocked by Saviors in every direction. At one point, Simon and a group of the Saviors set up a road block to try and take the group's supplies. That introduction already suggested that Simon will do some of Negan’s dirty work, and the season premiere confirmed as much when Negan formally introduced Simon. For the most part, the "right-hand man" stayed silent, except when he gave Negan a pen and informed him of Rick’s hatchet. While I may not be looking forward to getting to know Negan's sidekick, you should know more about the actor who plays him.

Here's where else you might have seen Ogg.

He ransacked Dolores' home on "Westworld."

That’s right, Ogg landed roles on two of the most popular shows on TV right now.

Now, if he earned a spot on Game of Thrones, he would hit the trifecta. He’s a minor character on Westworld, playing one of the many host villains, Rebus. In the third episode, Dolores came home to find her parents dead and there was a guy trying to find milk, who then dragged her into the barn. After Dolores imagines that the man is someone else, she shoots him. That attacker would be Ogg's Rebus.



He was Trevor in "Grand Theft Auto V."

As popular as Westworld is, Ogg is probably best known for his role in the popular video game Grand Theft Auto V. He’s the voice and motion capture artist for Trevor Phillips, one of the game's main lead characters.



Ogg also played the "creepy locksmith" on an episode of "Broad City."

If you thought Ogg's Westworld character was creepy, he literally played "creepy locksmith" on an episode of Broad City.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Here's the preview for next week's 90-minute episode of 'The Walking Dead'

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rick negan

If you've been wondering how Rick and the gang have been coping since the brutal season seven premiere of "The Walking Dead," next week's episode will provide some answers.

The fourth episode of "The Walking Dead" will be an extra long episode, running for 90 minutes. The episode, titled "Service," will feature Rick and the gang picking up the pieces after the emotional season seven premiere, which saw the deaths of both Glenn and Abraham.

According to the episode synopsis, the group will also receive "a sobering visit." Yup. It looks like Negan's coming back for more. This should be fun.

Check out the teaser below:

Here's a second sneak peek AMC put out for next week's episode featuring Rosita, Eugene, and Spencer:

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NOW WATCH: There's a good reason 'The Walking Dead' creator doesn't use the word 'zombie'

'The Walking Dead' finally revealed the backstory of one of the show’s newest villains

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dwight walking dead

Warning: There are major spoilers ahead for "The Walking Dead."

Sunday's episode of "The Walking Dead" finally gave us more of Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), Dwight (Austin Amelio), and fan favorite Daryl (Norman Reedus) as it took us to yet another thriving community in the zombie apocalypse — the Sanctuary.

While we saw how things are going for Daryl since he was kidnapped by Negan and the Saviors — not good — the episode primarily focused on another character you should plan to see a lot more of: Dwight.

One of Negan's loyal soldiers, we finally got a little more backstory for Dwight and learned exactly how he got those burn scars on his face.

This is your last chance to head back before spoilers.

dwight burn scar the walking dead

Dwight, or D as he's sometimes referred to on the show, was first introduced back in season six, episode six. 

In that episode, Dwight, his wife Sherry, and her sister Tina kidnapped Daryl and stole his supplies, crossbow, and motorcycle before letting him go. Tina winds up getting killed, but at the time, viewers presumed that D and his wife were trying to escape from some place.

tina sherry

We now know that they were trying to escape from Negan and the Sanctuary. That didn't turn out so well though, and they eventually wound up back there.

The next time we saw Dwight was in the latter half of the season, and he had a new, large burn mark on the left side of his face. On Sunday night's episode, we finally received an explanation for how he was injured — a hot iron to the face. 

It was a moment that was exciting for fans of the comics, since it's one we don't see play out in the graphic series. It was recently hinted at in the new season seven opening credits of the show, too.

However, instead of getting a flashback sequence, Negan told a pretty banged-up Daryl exactly what happened.

Negan recalled to Daryl how Dwight received his scar after he betrayed him. The entire moment was a cautious reminder to Daryl to not mess with Negan and the Saviors and to choose carefully when deciding what his future could look like at the Sanctuary.

negan walking dead

"See that guy? He hustles. I like hustle. But believe it or not, things weren’t always cool between us," Negan told Daryl of Dwight.

Negan recalled how Dwight's sister-in-law Tina needed meds. In response, Negan asked Tina to marry him and promised he would take care of her. However, Tina said she would simply think about it. Next thing he knew, Dwight stole all the medication at their disposal and took off with his wife Sherry and Tina, so Negan sent men after them. Unfortunately, Dwight and the women still got away. However, Dwight and Sherry eventually went back (after their run-in with Daryl). 

"Here’s the thing. D, he saw the light. He manned up. He came back. He asked for my forgiveness. I like that. Made me take notice," Negan continued. "But Lucille, well, you know how she is. She is a stickler for the rules. So Dwight, he begged me not to kill Sherry, which I thought was kinda cute, so I was just gonna kill him. But then Sherry says that she will marry me if I let Dwight live."

Negan said while it was a start, it wasn't enough.

"So Dwight, he got the iron and then I married his super hot wife," he said. "Ex-wife. And then — after all that — he still got on board. And now look at him. One of my top guys. And we are totally cool."

Yikes. 

dwight twd

Negan then told Daryl that he thinks he has the possibility to be one of his guys, too, like Dwight.

Here's the thing though. Negan didn't realize it, but he just filled in the blanks for Daryl about how he came to meet Dwight. As far as we know, Negan doesn’t seem aware that Daryl and Dwight have met each other before — something which could be beneficial for the two of them in the long run.

the walking dead daryl dwight

In the comics, we never meet Dwight before he has his burn marks. It's him, not Negan, who recounts how he got an iron to the face: He didn't get punished because he tried leaving the Sanctuary. He got an iron to the face because his wife Sherry went back to Dwight after marrying Negan to better their living situation.

dwight walking dead

After that, he focuses on getting revenge on Negan and eventually aligns himself with Rick and his crew along with the Kingdom to help take the Saviors' reign of terror down. It feels like we're still a bit far from that on the show though. 

While we now know how Dwight got his scars on the TV show, I have to say it was a little bit of a letdown. We were hoping to get some sort of flashback sequence. "The Walking Dead" is no stranger to rewinding the zombie apocalypse a few months backwards to give us greater context for some big characters. The show famously did it last season with Morgan when it gave him his own episode. 

When I found out the episode would be centered around Daryl and Dwight, I thought the episode may open with a flashback to when Dwight first returned to the Sanctuary to beg Negan's forgiveness. I was genuinely surprised the reveal came from Negan simply sharing the story to Daryl. I thought it fell a bit flat in the delivery.

Maybe the network thought it would have been a bit much for Negan after he bludgeoned two characters with a baseball bat in the season premiere.

You can watch the scene with Negan, Daryl, and Dwight below:

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'The Walking Dead' actor never saw the show before he was hired as a major character

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the walking dead dwight

Austin Amelio may play the seemingly cool, cocky, and confident savior Dwight on "The Walking Dead," but his first days on set during season six were a bit nerve-racking. 

"One of my first scenes was with Norman [Reedus]," Amelio told INSIDER back in March after he joined the show. "I wanted to throw up. I was so nervous. He made it so, so easygoing and was just open and welcoming."

His first entry onto the series was during season six, episode six when he ended up leaving Daryl stranded without any weapons and a ride out in the woods. Since then, he's become more of an antagonist on the show, kidnapping Daryl, Michonne, and Rosita. Now, he's torturing Daryl at Negan's compound, feeding him dog food sandwiches to try and break him into becoming a Savior. 

the walking dead daryl dwightdwight the walking dead

"The Walking Dead" wasn't just Amelio's first big television role — it was his first TV role period. Before he was cast as Dwight on the AMC series, Amelio says he had never watched the hit show because he didn't own a television. He didn't even realize who he was cast as or how large the role may be. 

"To me, it was just another audition in my life. Kind of hanging on," said Amelio. "That’s kind of how it is when [you’re in] pilot season. Auditioning every day, but yeah I really had no idea about the show or Dwight or who I got cast as. I thought I was just going to go down there and shoot an episode and that was going to be it."

austin amelio

It wasn't until Amelio later got on the phone with showrunner Scott Gimple that he learned about Dwight and that his role may be bigger than expected.

"He filled me in with who this guy was and where he came from and how he was a comic book character and that he’s a huge part of the comics and I was like, really surprised to be honest. I was like, 'Oh my god. I had no idea it was that big.' You know? At all."

dwight austin amelio walking dead.JPG

Right before landing the role of Dwight, Amelio had just moved out to Los Angeles with his wife and son two weeks prior from Texas. He had just wrapped up a role in Richard Linklater's "Everybody Wants Some!" Amelio recalled how his wife asked him what would happen if he would get cast and if they may have to move again. 

"I was like, ‘That’s not gonna happen.’ I was like … it’s LA. It’s gonna take a while," said Amelio. "And then literally, two weeks later, I got cast as Dwight in 'The Walking Dead' so it was really funny."

Amelio said he had no time to read the comics after he was cast. He had a week to prep for Dwight's character so he got on the phone with Gimple to learn everything there was to at the time about Dwight. 

One of the things that quickly became part of Dwight's character was a giant burn scar down the entire left side of his face. The fake scar takes about an hour to create each time. 

"It kind of changes your physicality and your persona a little bit. That’s what the scar does for me," said Amelio. The first time he saw it, it was a shock. "I was blown away. We had actually tested for three different styles of burn prosthetics. You know, it was freshly burned, not completely healed but not completely burned, and that’s the one that we went with. It felt like part of my face."

dwight the walking dead

"The Walking Dead" is known for having a close-knit cast and Amelio said that was obvious from the first time he was on set.  

"For a newcomer to come in and feel the immediacy of that closeness was so welcoming and kind of just made you feel a little more comfortable," said Amelio. Though he was nervous doing his first scenes with Reedus, it didn't take long for him to feel like part of the family. 

"Norman’s one of the most giving actors. He’s right there with you in it the entire time," he added Amelio. "You feel the comradery and that sort of group consciousness and everyone wanting to do a good job. It’s a good feeling for an artist. I feel a little more comfortable now."

Hopefully, after a few more episodes on the show now with Reedus, Morgan, and Andrew Lincoln, Amelio feels a lot more comfortable and a bigger part of "The Walking Dead" family. He should be on the show for some time.

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9 details you may have missed in Sunday's episode of 'The Walking Dead'

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dwight the walking dead

Warning: There are spoilers ahead.

Sunday's episode of "The Walking Dead" was all about Daryl and Dwight in Negan's stomping grounds, The Sanctuary. 

While this was a Dwight-centric episode, there were a lot of little moments you may have missed. You may want to go back and do a rewatch of the episode where he and Daryl first met in season six. There were a lot of throwbacks to the season's sixth episode.

Here are nine things you may have missed on Sunday's episode.

For a brief moment, we see Dwight carving some wooden figures in the episode's opening.



In season six, Dwight started to tell Daryl that his grandpa taught him how to carve the figures.

Daryl cut him off and took the figure from him. It looks like Dwight has racked up quite the collection again.



The song at the episode's start is called "Town Called Malice" by the Jam. You may want to give another look at the lyrics.

They're pretty perfect for Negan's sanctuary. Though it's a place that may look desirable from the outside, the residents are itching to get away for a better life. 

However, most of the residents at the Sanctuary have settled for living under Negan's dictatorship believing it's the only sure bet for safety in the apocalypse. 

Here's a sample of the lyrics:

Better stop dreaming of the quiet life
Cause it's the one we'll never know
And quit running for that runaway bus
Cause those rosey days are few
And...stop apologising for the things you've never done
Cause time is short and life is cruel
But it's up to us to change this town called Malice

You can read the rest of the lyrics here and listen to the song here.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

6 new photos teasing next week's 90-minute episode of 'The Walking Dead'

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rick negan the walking dead

AMC has released half a dozen photos for next Sunday's 90-minute episode of "The Walking Dead," and, once again, it's not looking great for Rick. 

Titled, "Service," we'll finally see the fallout from the season seven premiere and Rick and the Alexandrians will get a visit from Negan himself at their community's front door. Man, can't that guy let them grieve?

The photos for next Sunday's episode aren't too revealing. Keep reading to see what's in store.

Rosita and Spencer, along with the rest of the group, will be processing the losses of both Glenn and Abraham. Maybe the two are having their own little skirmish.

Remember, Rosita and Abraham were together for a long period until he dumped her for Sasha last season. Rosita then sought comfort in Spencer's arms. It looks like they're having a good ol' couple's spat.



Father Gabriel will be back in the mix next week. The last time we saw him he was taking care of Rick's youngest child, Judith. After the season seven premiere, he may still be on daycare duty.



Speaking of Rick, the group's once fearless leader looks like he's trying to process everything that's going on ... or he's sensing some Saviors aren't too far away.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Fans are obsessed with these 2 songs from Sunday's 'The Walking Dead'

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The INSIDER Summary:

• The opening scene was set to a song called "Town Called Malice" by The Jam.
• The Saviors made Daryl listen to "Easy Street."
• Fans went crazy for both songs on "The Walking Dead" season seven, episode three.



Sunday's "The Walking Dead" not only showed us our first glimpse at Negan's compound, but it also introduced many fans to two jams we didn't know we ever wanted. 

The opening of the season's third episode started with a montage of the Saviors' Sanctuary to the tune of 1982's "Town Called Malice" by The Jam. Not much later, the Saviors attempted to break Daryl by making him listen over and over to a 2016 song called "Easy Street."

If you can't get both songs out of your head, you're not alone.

A video for "Easy Street" is one of today's biggest trending videos on YouTube. Pages for both "Easy Street" and "Town Called Malice" are flooded with comments from "Walking Dead" fans while the Reddit page for the AMC series has fans asking whether anyone else had "Easy Street" stuck in their head.

"Easy Street" writer Jim Bianco told The Independent he wasn't sure how the "Walking Dead" producers came across the song and wasn't clear why the zombie series wanted to use such an upbeat song on the show. When he saw it was being used as a torture device for Daryl, he thought it was genius.

"I think the show used it brilliantly; framing such an upbeat song as a torture [device] is a work of genius by the music supervisor," Bianco said. 

Bianco says the song was inspired by Frank Sinatra and is about "those rare moments in life when you're holding the winning card."

While Daryl Dixon would probably be fine never hearing "Easy Street" ever again, fans can't seem to get enough.

If you're itching to listen to either song, you can listen to them below:

 

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Chappelle brings back classic characters to 'SNL' to spoof 'The Walking Dead' season 7 premiere

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Since Dave Chappelle was announced to host "Saturday Night Live," fans have been wondering if the comedian would bring any of his former "Chappelle's Show" characters to the show.

Chappelle more than delivered. He didn't just bring back one of his classic characters, he brought back several of them for a sketch spoofing the anticipated season seven premiere of "The Walking Dead," which saw the death of two of the series' popular characters.

Chappelle played the AMC series' new bat-wielding villain, Negan, while including several of the characters he made popular on his former Comedy Central show including Tyrone Biggums, player hater Andy Johnston, his take on Lil' Jon, and blind black white supremacist Clayton Bigsby who sported one of Trump's "Make America Great Again" hats.

tyrone biggums

While the sketch reunited Chappelle with Donnell Rawlings of "Chappelle's Show," the first-time "SNL" host didn't have help in the sketch from any of the late-night show's other cast members, and he didn't need it. He nailed it. 

chappelle snl

 

You can watch the sketch below:

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13 details you may have missed on Sunday's 90-minute episode of 'The Walking Dead'

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Warning: There are spoilers ahead.

Negan and a group of his Saviors visited Alexandria on Sunday's 90-minute episode of "The Walking Dead."

While much of the episode pulled straight from the comics — which we'll break down in another post — there were many callbacks to the series going all the way back to season two.

Keep reading to see what you may have missed on Sunday's episode.

Michonne gives a quick look at the nails on the wall at the episode's start.



When the group first arrived at Alexandria, Michonne hammered the nails into the wall and displayed her katana across them in hopes her sword-wielding days were through.

It was a nice, naive dream for a short time. Michonne took the katana off the wall several episodes later after it was used by one of the Alexandrians to kill another.



Michonne started practicing with a rifle on Sunday night's episode.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

'The Walking Dead' finally reveals one of the biggest mysteries fans have been wondering since the show began

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Warning: There are huge spoilers ahead for "The Walking Dead."

Sunday's episode of "The Walking Dead" saw the return of Negan reuniting with Rick and his group for the first time since the season seven premiere. While their reunion was anything but rosy, fans were in for a shock when the show ended up delivering an unexpected reveal that had nothing to do with Negan, the Saviors, or any other future characters.

Near the end of the extended 90-minute episode, Rick revealed the answer to one of the biggest mysteries the show has had since its first season: Who is the true father of his daughter Judith?

Last chance to head back before spoilers.

shane rick lori

While telling Michonne that they need to accept the way the world is right now, with Negan in it, Rick told Michonne that he previously had to accept that the daughter who he has been raising isn't his. 

rick the walking dead

Yes, Rick has known all along that his daughter with Lori actually belonged to his best friend Shane.

Here's the speech Rick gave to Michonne during the big reveal:

I had a friend. I don't talk about him. He was my partner.

rick shane walking dead

He got Lori and Carl to safety right after it all started. I couldn't. I was in the hospital. I didn't know what was happening.

shane rick hospital

My friend, his name was Shane, him and Lori they were together. They thought I was dead.

lori shane walking dead

I know Judith isn't mine. I know it. I love her. She's my daughter, but she isn't mine. I had to accept that. I did. So I could keep her alive. I'll die before she does and I hope that's a long time from now, so I can raise her and protect her and teach her how to survive. This is how we live now. I had to accept that too so I could keep everyone else alive.

carl judith the walking dead

Rick's explanation to Michonne echoes what Lori said to Shane after he found out she was pregnant: that their child would always be Rick's.

"Even if it's yours, it's not gonna be yours," Lori told Shane in season two, episode seven. "It's never gonna be yours and there's nothing you can do to change that."

lori speaks to shane

Actor Andrew Lincoln, who plays Rick on "The Walking Dead,"explained to Entertainment Weekly that it's a moment he has known but that he's finally voicing aloud. Showrunner Scott Gimple told him about the Judith reveal before he got the first script for season seven.

"It’s one of those watershed moments that happens, certainly between the two lovers, between Michonne and Rick, that brings them together," said Lincoln. "It’s a very important moment in understanding his psyche and going, 'This is what I’ve been doing for the last two years. I’ve accepted the situation and I will accept the situation if it’s going to save lives and if it’s going to protect the people I love. I will take it.' It’s another perfect kind of quiet heroism. You know, he’s a stepdad and it doesn’t stop him loving his child, but he kind of has accepted that it’s not his."

"The choice he [Rick] made with the Saviors, it was a very, very interesting and brilliant way of echoing that heroism that he'd shown with his own child — that he had sucked it up and he just said, it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter. I love her. She's my daughter. Even if she's not mine, she's still my daughter," Lincoln said in a taped segment on Sunday's "Walking Dead" aftershow, "Talking Dead.""I thought that was a brilliant way of explaining what Rick was enduring and capable of enduring."

Executive producer David Alpert said for Rick, the decision to reveal Judith's paternity to Michonne is about showing her what the group's priorities are at the moment. Instead of being reckless and seeking vengeance right away, they need to be mindful of what's actually important.

"[Rick] comes out of the coma, he finds his wife, he finds his kid, he finds his friend and he comes to that place and he realizes, you know what, everything else has gone away and I've found them and that's what's important," said Alpert. "Whether or not this is or is not my biological daughter is not important. This is the thing that's important. What he's trying to communicate to Michonne is, 'Listen. We have to survive another day. If we don't survive another day, then nothing matters.' That's what he's trying to get out there."

Alpert added that he didn't think there would ever be a reason for Rick to ever tell Judith that he's not her father.

"Unless she grows up and she has that big shane beard," he joked.

While fans weren't expecting the reveal in Sunday's episode, the news that Rick isn't Judith's father probably didn't surprise too many. It's been a topic of discussion for years within the fandom. 

In 2012, TV Guide asked comic creator Robert Kirkman if we may ever learn the identity of Judith's real father and he hinted that Shane was indeed the dad.

"I'd prefer to keep that kind of thing somewhat ambiguous, but I will say if you've watched this show, it's definitely much more likely that it is Shane's baby, but you never really know,"Kirkman said at the time.

Though his character has been dead on "The Walking Dead" for years, even actor Jon Bernthal, who played Shane, guessed that Judith was his daughter several times. 

Jon Bernthal as Shane Walsh in The Walking Dead

The actor told fans Judith was "100% Shane's" at Wizard World Chicago Comic Con in 2013. During an appearance at October's New York Comic Con, the actor told fans the same when he was asked Judith's paternity.

Lincoln told EW he actually made the big reveal to Bernthal awhile back so he probably knew when he was joking around with fans at Comic Con.  

"'Dude, you’re never going to believe this,' and he was like, 'Oh, my God, no. What?' said Lincoln. "It was hilarious because he was like, 'No. What… you… really? Really?' And he took it all so perfect. It was so Jon. It was beautiful because it was almost like he wanted to replay his scene again. He wanted to go back and reshoot the thing and I was like, 'Dude, I know. Come on… they… you know.'"

As fans have pointed out, it logically made more sense that Judith was Shane's child. It's estimated that Rick was in his coma for four to five weeks and then a few more weeks until he was finally reunited with Lori, his son Carl, and Shane. By that point, fans believe Shane was with Lori for the better part of two months. 

When the question was asked on Reddit over a year ago, user TsarNab came up with a pretty convincing timeline in which it was determined that Rick returns to his family on day 60 of the outbreak. It's on that night he has sex with his wife. Eight days later, Lori takes a pregnancy test that's revealed positive. It's determined that eight days later would probably be too soon for an over-the-counter pregnancy test to reveal positive results and so it was largely assumed by fans that Lori probably conceived a while ago and that Rick wasn't the father. You can read TsarNab's full breakdown here.

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'The Walking Dead' actor says he found out about Sunday's big reveal before season 7

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Warning: There are major spoilers ahead for "The Walking Dead."

Sunday's episode of "The Walking Dead" brought Negan and the Saviors to Alexandria, but the biggest talking point of the evening was Rick's reveal to Michonne about the paternity of his daughter Judith.

When Michonne became angered that Rick was giving into the Saviors every whim, Rick said that this was a way of life the group needed to accept now, just as he accepted that the daughter he's raising isn't actually his. Biologically, Judith is the daughter of his long dead wife Lori and friend Shane.  

rick carl judith the walking deadshane rick lori

Actor Andrew Lincoln said on the series' aftershow "Talking Dead" that he learned they would be handling the Judith reveal long before season seven from current showrunner Scott Gimple.

"I got a phone call from Scott Gimple way before we started filming and he told me about the reveal of Rick and Judith and it blew my mind only because I understood, it made sense of what was happening," said Lincoln.

"The choice he [Rick] made with the Saviors, it was a very, very interesting and brilliant way of echoing that heroism that he'd shown with his own child — that he had sucked it up and he just said, it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter," he added. "I love her. She's my daughter. Even if she's not mine, she's still my daughter. I thought that was a brilliant way of explaining what Rick was enduring and capable of enduring."

Lincoln told Entertainment Weekly they've been working on nailing that scene because afterwards they knew that it would mean that this is something Rick would have been carrying with him every day.

"It was a very, very key point that [shworunner Scott M. Gimple] told me before I even got script 1 [this season]. We talked about it in the hiatus because it is very, very key," said Lincoln. "It’s a great, great secret that he’s been holding on to for a long, long time. It’s also a very smart way of understanding why he’s behaving in this way, because he’s been behaving that way with regards to his child since the outbreak, since he got the news."

You can read Lincoln's full interview with EW here.

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