The Walking Dead Executive Producer David Alpert took a moment while on the set of Season 5 to share a few of his favorite moments from the show, and who he can’t wait to see introduced from the comics…
Q: You’ve known Robert Kirkman for over 12 years now. What still surprises you about the stuff he comes up with in the show and comic?
A: The thing that surprises me most is that he still has the same shirts from 12 years ago. [Laughs] In all honesty, the thing that gets me about what Robert does is really finding the humanity in these insane situations. So many creators and writers get wrapped up in the pyrotechnics and the setting. Robert always finds the character and the spark.
Q: Last year, you mentioned Season 4’s theme related to the possibility of civilization. What would you say the theme for Season 5 is?
A: I think with Season 4, Scott Gimple really focused on whether you can get away from the things that you’ve done. Can you turn your back on your past? I think Season 5 is a response to that, in that you are what you’ve done, where you’ve been and where you’re from.
Q: You’re working on a new sci-fi movie, Air, starring Norman Reedus. Is this going to be Daryl Dixon in space?
A: It’s a post-apocalyptic thriller in a world that’s been overrun. The key people in this world, like scientists and biologists, are being held at a biogenic facility. Norman Reedus plays a maintenance man that is woken up every six months to clean the air filter. He’s been doing it for years and years, but this time, something goes horribly wrong. It’s a really interesting character study with this giant post-apocalyptic backdrop. Daryl is very strong, but can be child-like at times. In Air, Norman’s character is very independent-minded and he’s very much a leader, whereas Daryl, I think, is the perfect #2. Norman’s character in Air would never be working with Rick.
Q: What one element from the show do you wish was in the comic?
A: It’s more like things in the comic that I can’t wait to get to. I cannot wait until we introduce Negan. He is just like the coolest f—ing character on the planet. You thought the Governor was bad news?
Q: Negan’s worse?
A: [Laughs] Man, wait until you meet Negan! He’s one of the greatest villains ever created. It’s so exciting.
Ne gan! Ne gan! Ne gan!
*giant crowd of Negan supporters approach set of TWD show*
Well Negan is one to make a fucking big first impression.
Well said sir, well said
REALLY hoping he doesn’t enter the way he does in the comics
most people agree that daryl will take glenns date with destiny with Lucille on the tv show.
I want Daryl to die just to weed some people out who think he IS the show.
I would miss his arms though…
Whaaa…? The man’s shoulders…..something’s kinda off….
Maybe that’s why I like them!
They’re disproportionate to all his other parts, including the rest of his arms, lol!
We are each a snow flake @Bastet, different and imperfect in our own way. I like the Daryl snowflake and his weird arm and shoulder combo.
That ain’t a snowflake, Carly….that’s pigeon poop!
I am not a big-dirty-Daryl-lover or anything, but I do kind of want to shoot you in the head with a Nerf crossbow right now.
Your analogy has me feeling all warm & fuzzy inside. What do I do now? Where do I go from here?! Oh, I am so discombobulated right about now!
You should probably grab Tyrese’s rubber hammer because I am coming at you with plastic suction cup arrows and a crossbow right now!
I love Teddybear Ty but I’m gonna have to make a beeline around that hammer & go straight for Lucille!
Virtual apocalyptic throwdown is ON!
I have a wide variety of rubber weapons in my house. I feel like we could really not-hurt each other. ha ha.
I just had a vision of Vivica & Uma with styrofoam/rubber weapons in Kill Bill 2.
Ha ha. I like it!
10k ^
I am actually glad we are not alone on this … I like Daryl but he’s got to go .
#DarylMeetLucille!
You are on a roll lol 😀
Thank you, thank you. I’m here all week!
You s’pose to be workin’.
I think we all are lol 😀
I bum-rush my workload first thing in the morning so I can goof off for the rest of the day. That’s how I roll.
I’m trying! But the pull is strong!
Yeah.
You’re one of us.
It’s too late for you.
I’m infected!! The only cure is a screwdriver to the brain!
That might make ya famous…..
I am still kicking myself for not buying this. I was worried about scaring my kid but since then I’ve decided I don’t care!
The only cure is more cow bell .
lol I got a fever!
We need to make Eugene leader! Who’s with me ? Anyone?
10k v
He has the cure ! Mullets !
Euge’s Mullet Spray
Keeps the Walker Virus at Bay!
😮
no one
Hahaha!! I know ! I said it as a joke but after thinking about it I would follow Eugene.
As long as you are on the opposite side of the spectrum (Abraham), he would need you!
**crickets**
Lol! Do you at least like his character?
Oh yeah. I mean he’s a needed character. Not as in he is needed for survival, but he adds a cool story line.
Who’s you favorite comic and show characters?
Well Carl is my main man on both fronts.
But TV-Rick has a special place in my… heart.
Honorable mention to Michonne on both fronts because she honestly cannot be beat. Also,TV-Tyrese I constantly want to hug because he is probably the sweetest man ever. And Daryl, there is a reason why everyone loves him!
I think that basically means I love everyone, huh?
I like Glenn , Beth and Maggie the most on the show . Eugene , Ezekiel and Abraham comics .
God, I did really enjoy the hell out of Beth this last season.
Her and Daryl had good chemistry . She did really come into her own .
They really did. That episode where it was just the two of them, so good. When they burned that shack down, and they were flipping off the world and that Mountain Goats song was playing—Uhhh, it killed me in such a good way! I was fist pumping and super excited over here. Ha ha.
That was awesome I agree . I watched that episode a bunch of times in a row .
I am glad I am not the only one who gets obsessed with certain episodes and does that.
Beth… the biggest waste of tv space EVER!!! She does nothing at all! She backround in my opinion. I filler. Obviously their starting to give her more of a fighting role in tv show but its too little, waayyyy too late in my eyes.
What about you? Rosita all the way with a side of Beth Greene?
I’m waiting on Rosita I have a feeling I will like her on both before long . I like Beth . People make fun of me for it
People are generally stupid. Beth has come into her own. She is much more than the “filler” character like I felt she was on the farm.
And I love the hell out of her when she sings. They make great song choices for her.
Yeah they do .. Do you have any of Emily’s albums ?
I did download Expired Love. It’s not my usual jam, but it’s good.
Not my usual stuff either but it has a few really good songs on there .
She should do a cover album of Tom Waits songs because that’s what she always seems to be singing on the show.
I need to look him up and listen to his albums .
Definitely!
Negan doesn’t rape so the governors worst
Yes he does. His “wives” don’t have a choice in the matter. They are his slaves.
Your wrong they have a choice. He flat out says he doesn’t tolerate rape. Said itto the guy who was going to rape Holly remember?
That’s because he’s a hypocrite on top of being a sociopath.
Such a debatable subject.
What do you think Negan would have been charged with in court ?
There was a guy recently in the news who had kidnapped women and held them captive for years. You can imagine the sick things he was doing, and he considered them his companions. I’d have to see what he was charged with.
Since I’m not around a computer do you think you can look up a similar case in the state Negan committed these crimes ?
Ha ha. I can’t tell of you’re being serious or not! I could look it up after work though. People are trying to make me earn my damn paycheck today.
I had a friend of mine look up coercion and in most states is a form of rape ..
Right, they feared for their lives and the well being of their loved ones. Especially when you look at it in terms of the apocalypse, it’s a crazy and terrible situation.
I think you are a very brilliant person. You are making me see this in another light . I was looking at his situation with his wives as him being more of a pimp . Pimps use physical force sometimes to get their money . I was thinking Negan was similar in that way but just using threats to the women’s families. Having ancestors that were slaves I didn’t think that was a similar situation. I see where you are coming from though . Through the threat of violence or being shunned they stayed.. You gave me a lot to think about . You have changed my mind on the subject.
Oh, I thought you were teasing me a little at first when you asked about the charges! Thanks for actually thinking about something from someone else’s side. Most people will just say “well I think this, so you’re wrong and I don’t care.” You’re a cool guy Jason.
I had to really look up slavery to fully understand what she meant for anyone reading this wondering what changed my mind . Slaves were kept with the threat of physical violence or not being able to eat . Then looked up the word ” Coercion” . Then look up laws ..
I’m still a Negan fan . I know I’m a hypocrite for anyone that has read my posts about the governor.
Up vote.
negan just steals ur wife .and if ur caught cheating with UR WIFE ur face get burned or worse .so yea negans no better . just far worst
Do you think Negan is more interesting to read about ?
Love the joke that Robert’s still wearing the same shirts 12 years later. Me too dude!
Can’t wait for Negan! He’s one of my fav characters for sure
Speaking of Negan, I just came across this glorious cross stitch on Pinterest. I’m pretty sure Negan has it hanging in his cell.
I want that lol
Me too!
Negan might of got one of his ‘wives’ to make this.
Looks like Amber’s work .
I forgot completely about her. I wonder where she is at the current time in the comic?
I’m thinking she went back to her boyfriend .. Mark I think his name is ? I would like to see the Saviors and see if they stayed together … Probably even more than the Kingdom at this point.
yeah, but im dying to see michonne again
Yeah I want to see her too .. Plus Ezekiel.
My bet for the saviours is that they disbanded. Dwight wasn’t a good enough leader and they all went their seperate ways. They may of even killed Dwight in favour of a Negan supporter so they can break him out from Alexandria prison.
That’s what I’m talking about the world needs Saviors.
Even though Negan is an awesome character I don’t think the show will be able to do him justice. One of the best personality quirks that Negan has is that he constantly drops the F bomb. We’ve already been shown that the show doesn’t even allow one (Rick’s deleted season 4 ending quote). Another reason why we love to hate Negan is because he killed (Spoiler Alert in 3…2….1…! Are all the casual fans gone. Good) Glenn. Glenn’s death in the walking dead was one of the most brutal with getting his head smashed in and so forth. It’s okay when Zombies die like this but for it to happen to a living breathing human being is a whole different level. The only way that I can see Negan being as bad ass as the comic version is that he is a smart-ass, relentless, black humored, and has outbursts of anger which might result to him randomly killing or burning half of one of his men’s face off.
JW Coombs pointed out to me that if the show was moved to a different time slot, Negan in all his glory is actually a possibility. I’m all for it….Mondays at work would just have to take a hit…I’ll make up for it Tuesdays!
That would be awesome but they run the risk of losing some of their viewer base by doing so. it wouldn’t effect me because I watch them via google play/itunes but it would have an effect on others in Australia.
I see what you mean. The # in my household would have to drop. I don’t have my hopes up of show Negan coming close to comic Negan. Like you say, that foul mouth is part of what makes him who he is.
If they are able to make him as good as how they portrayed the Governor on the TV show then I’m all in.
I think that could stand to lose a few pussies who need to be in bed by nine and still kill it on ratings.
((O))((O))
OMG, Code Blue!!
Ahahahaha
I didn’t realize the time slot changed! Cool. I wonder if that has to do with the warnings we’ve heard that this is a very “grown up” season. I’m assuming that’s a warning to parents
No, it hasn’t changed…at least not yet. I’m saying IF…it would make Negan doable.
Ohhhh, I’m following!
amen sister! I can stay up a lil later, I guess chris hardwick will have to suffer, cuz it might be passed my bedtime by then.
I’d have to catch show highlights later….it takes my last little bit of energy to make it all the way through Talking Dead now.
I’m a night owl so by the time Talking Dead is over I am hopping around my living room pumped!
I used to be a night owl. That was before kids. Now I’m a slow riser who gets up at 4:45AM & has to slup down the 1st cup o’ joe before I begin to get myself together for work.
Well it helps me that my husband is an early bird so I am free to mope and groan and shuffle about in the mornings with my family avoiding me like I was THE WALKING DEADDDD!
yeah, I didn’t really think they needed to stretch that show into an hour long episode as it was.
Talking Bad was 1/2 an hour after the final 8 Breaking Bad episodes and that seemed fine to me, except I think the very last one they did an hour.
I’m a stay-at-home-mom. Doesn’t matter to me when it comes on. I’m usually up until 1am. 😉 😀
Here’s to hoping for some fuckity fuckin’ fucks!
Did you mean that in a dirty way? Because that’s how I took it!
LMAO!!
Ha ha, girl! You know how I do.
Like me, lol.
Wow ! I need to read the interview.