Stories emerged a while back (here) that some scenes in the upcoming series of The Walking Dead might have to be cut due to seriously gratuitous violence and gore… and they are back.
Rick himself, Andrew Lincoln, told Cinemablend that the opening six minutes of the first episode are so shocking the cast were even surprised: “All of us were just dumbstruck and said, ‘We’re not going to be able to show this. We’re not going to be able to show this.’”
Although he added: “We are showing it.”
Director Greg Nicotero said he wanted an Alien approach, referring to the scene in Alien where the Chestbuster killed John Hurt and none of the cast knew it was going to happen (except Hurt, obviously): “I remember when we were filming it, the other actors had no idea how I choreographed things,” he said, “So when certain events occur during those first few minutes, everyone’s reaction was ‘Holy s@#t, did I just see what I think I just saw?’”
For all that, showrunner Scott Gimble believes ultimately The Walking Dead is about hope and not just gore and violence: “It is ultimately, I think one of the most positive shows on television. One of the most humanistic shows on television. A show that is about people trying to stay together, trying to not just stay alive but keep their humanity alive. There’s a lot of nihilism on TV. Like ‘nihilism is super cool,’ the antihero and everything. I grew up at a time when Megadeth and Metallica was like the music. I dig the music, but I kind of had my fill of nihilism when I was a kid.
“To see a couple be able to feel that faith and that love, and then in the next episode see a guy tear another guy’s neck out with his teeth out of just blind rage and survival to protect his children, that’s the whole of human experience. We’re not just saying it’s one way or another. Love definitely exists on The Walking Dead. It’s the thing that keeps them going. It’s also an incredibly dangerous thing.”
So, love and violence is the key and still beating heart of the show, huh? Let us know what you think below, @NerdFollowing or on Facebook
The Walking Dead Returns on October 15th
Marc
Marc is a self-confessed nerd. Ever since seeing Star Wars for the first time around 1979 he’s been an unapologetic fan of the Wars and still believes, with Clone Wars and now Underworld, we are yet to see the best Star Wars. He’s a dad of two who now doesn’t have the time (or money) to collect the amount of toys, comics, movies and books he once did, much to the relief of his long-suffering wife. In the real world he’s a graphic designer. He started Following the Nerd because he was tired of searching a million sites every day for all the best news that he loves and decided to create one place where you can go to get the whole lot. Secretly he longs to be sitting in the cockpit of his YT-1300 Corellian Transport ship with his co-pilot Chewie, roaming the universe, waiting for his next big adventure, but feels just at home watching cartoons with his kids….
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