AMC Networks President and CEO Josh Sapan believes The Walking Dead franchise is only getting started.
Sapan told The Wrap he believes The Walking Dead is on pace to become a franchise as big as Star Trek . Sapan explained The Walking Dead is a rare kind of concept capable of going through many reiterations.
“[ Star Trek ] came and went three times,” Sapan said. “We do think that we have a franchise [in The Walking Dead and Fear the Walking Dead] that is one of the rare franchises that you occasionally come across in what we do for a living.”
Sapan shouldn’t be too quick to brag about Fear the Walking Dead. Forbes reported earlier in September the show is bleeding viewers. Fear the Walking Dead also doesn’t have the loyal viewership of The Walking Dead, since there’s really no tie-ins to the show.
Unlike shows including Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead doesn’t have an end in sight. The Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman is still working on the comic books and there’s still plenty of source material to make up a few more seasons. So long as Rick Grimes is still around people will continue to watch the show, especially with the introduction of Negan.
It’s an exciting time to be a Walking Dead fan. There’s a war coming, and Andrew Lincoln is ready for some action. Lincoln recently spoke to Vulture about the conflict brewing between Rick and Negan. Lincoln is confident what’s to come will be unlike anything fans have seen before.
"If we follow the comic book, then there's a super badass conflict between Negan and us, and I think that's certainly something that I think will trump anything we've attempted before in the show," Lincoln told Vulture.
The Walking Dead Season 7 premieres Oct. 23 on AMC.
