‘The Walking Dead’ Could Go Global as Scott Gimple Hints at 15 More Years of Survival Stories

The Walking Dead might not be walking toward its grave just yet – in fact, it could be gearing up for another decade and a half of undead storytelling. At the recent Mipcom anniversary panel in Cannes, writer and executive producer Scott M. Gimple hinted that the sprawling zombie saga still has much more ground – and world – to cover. Speaking about the success of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon spinoff, which takes Norman Reedus’s beloved character all the way to France, Gimple suggested that the undead drama could continue expanding across continents.

“It’s quite possible we could see this group up here 15 years from now,” he said, teasing a creative map that extends far beyond the American apocalypse.

Gimple’s vision is rooted in evolution – not just of the characters, but of the world itself. “There are many more continents to visit,” he explained. “It’s about how these people change over time. The new locales give us new stories – in many ways, the locations write the story for us.” It’s an idea that reframes the familiar zombie narrative. By shifting the lens to different cultures, climates, and crises, the franchise could tap into entirely new mythologies, survival methods, and even moral questions. Imagine how the apocalypse unfolds in Tokyo’s neon maze, or within the frozen tundras of Siberia, or in the densely populated streets of Mumbai. Each place offers new threats and new reflections on humanity’s resilience – a reminder that even in a world overrun by the dead, survival looks different everywhere.

Gimple drew comparisons to the vast worldbuilding of comic book universes like Marvel and DC. He sees The Walking Dead as a similar “living” mythology – one story branching endlessly, reshaped by each new environment and emotional challenge. “Even with characters who have done so many things,” he said, “we can put them in new worlds, give them new challenges, and watch them evolve through those challenges.” It’s a creative ethos that turns fatigue into fuel, allowing familiar faces like Daryl Dixon to feel both worn and renewed as they wander through uncharted lands.

The concept also cleverly flips one of zombie fiction’s oldest tropes – containment. Films like Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later famously trapped their horror within isolated borders. The Walking Dead could, at long last, break free from those fences, pushing beyond the familiar Southern farmlands into a truly global nightmare. As Gimple noted, expanding geography means expanding possibility. The apocalypse, after all, is a worldwide event – so why keep it bottled up in Georgia?

Since its 2010 debut, The Walking Dead has grown into a television giant: 11 seasons, 177 episodes, and six spinoffs. Its latest branch, Daryl Dixon, launched in 2023 and is already renewed for a fourth and final season coming next year. Whether audiences still crave this undead universe or not, the ambition behind it remains staggering. For better or worse, The Walking Dead continues to embody its own metaphor – a franchise that simply refuses to die.