The Walking Dead Prequel: What I Hope to See

Written by John Edward Betancourt

There's a show that has recently entered pre production that I have been keeping my eye on for some time now.  I've watched the news closely, I've waited to say anything on it for one particular reason...it's not a guarantee we will ever see it.  Sure it's been ordered to pilot, but lots of shows get that order and well, not all of them are ever seen by the public.  But this one, I have a good feeling about, simply because of the fact that it has made incredible progress in it's development and I fully expect the prequel series of The Walking Dead to make it to a series order. 

For those who haven't heard yet, yes, The Walking Dead is getting a spin off/prequel that will take us into the darkest days of the living dead plague that Rick Grimes managed to sleep through.  So far, we know it has a temporary title of Cobalt, that it is set in the city of Los Angeles and that the first cast members have signed on for their respective roles.  Plus, Robert Kirkman will be a guiding hand on the series, and that's a huge plus as well.

But, the beauty of a prequel like this, is that the powers that be have a chance to do new and exciting things that we don't see on the current iteration of The Walking Dead and that's saying something since the show already offers so much.  It's dark, it's gritty and it challenges us in new ways since Scott Gimple took over as showrunner.  Obviously, I'm glad that the core elements will likely be present for this pilot, but there are a few things that I would like to see for this prequel. 

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First and foremost, I want to see the new tradition of strong and powerful characters that we see on the original show translate over to this one. This is a great opportunity to test these characters in new ways since we are seeing the world as they know it crumble around them. It's a chance to really explore how that effects people in ways that the genre has yet to explore. Often times they are just on the run...surviving because it must be done.  Now's a great chance to look at the fact that things will never be the same.  

I'm also hoping that the main source of conflict, is getting away from the living dead. No villains or crazy safe havens like we have seen on the original show. This is an opportunity to give zombie fans the epic meltdown of the world we always wanted.  No more being in the thick of things or seeing the outbreak from a smaller sampling of the world. This is the chance to show off the end of the world in grand fashion and place the characters in some seriously scary and dangerous situations that will leave the audience gasping for air and wiping sweat from their brow.  

I think if the show can accomplish those two key elements, we are in for an incredible ride from both shows. We'll have the original that allows us to think hard about the human condition and what we will become after our world is torn to pieces, and at the same time we'll have a show that provides us with pure, raw terror where every week our characters are trying to make it to tomorrow.  Either way I can't wait, the popularity of the living dead is a gift that keeps on giving and I'll be keeping my eye on this new version The Walking Dead every step of the way.  

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