‘The Walking Dead’: How Will the Coronavirus Impact the Show?

As chaos ensues and fates converge, things are ramping up for The Walking Dead Season 10 finale. The survivors continue to face unspeakable terrors brought by opponents alive and dead. But even scarier than the fictional apocalypse ripped from the pages of a graphic novel is the real-life coronavirus pandemic that has been spreading across the globe. With many communities paralyzed, production crews have halted shooting in an effort to curtail the spread of the virus. Here’s the scoop on how The Walking Dead could be affected.

Has ‘The Walking Dead’ suspended production?

The coronavirus has impacted virtually every sphere of business, including entertainment. NPR.org reports that the illness is more contagious and more deadly than the flu, and the Centers For Disease Control released strict guidelines to slow the spread of the disease. The agency recommends social distancing and canceling large gatherings as a way of reducing the number of people who contract the bug.

As a result, many television series ceased filming in March. Fortunately, The Walking Dead did not have to halt production because the cast and crew had already wrapped the season, according to Entertainment Weekly. Luckily for fans, The Walking Dead Season 10 finale is still scheduled to air on April 10.

How will the coronavirus pandemic impact ‘The Walking Dead’ Season 11?

Entertainment Weekly reports that filming for Season 11 was scheduled to begin in May, but will be postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak. However, not all hope is lost. The Walking Dead showrunner, Angela Kang, told The Hollywood Reporter that the writers are working remotely on storylines for Season 11. With video conferencing technology, the creative minds behind the show can stay on track and in touch with one another. Kang was quoted as saying this:

“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.”

What about ‘Talking Dead,’ the companion series to ‘The Walking Dead?

Talking Dead, hosted by Chris Hardwick, is the after-show for The Walking Dead. On it, Hardwick welcomes special guests to the couch and leads them in a discussion about The Walking Dead episodes. Guests are typically fans, stars, or crew members from the show who analyze the elements of the story.

The talk show is filmed with a live studio audience, so the producers opted to cancel the March 15 episode in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.After taking some time to regroup, Talking Dead tweeted that the series will return. Fans can catch the live show on Sunday, March 22, immediately following The Walking Dead Season 10 Episode 13 — presumably minus the studio audience.

Read more: ‘The Walking Dead’: Why Danai Gurira Calls Playing Michonne One of Her ‘Greatest Blessings’