Robert Kirkman talks Outcast, teases ‘intense season’ of The Walking Dead

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

Robert Kirkman is a busy fella nowadays. His "The Walking Dead" continues to be one of the highest rated shows on cable and he also has his exorcism-based comic "Outcast" (due in comics stores later this month) headed to Cinemax, keeping him in high demand in Hollywood while juggling his writing duties outside of television. Now Kirkman has spoken with THR on "Outcast" as well as giving a bit of insight as to what we can expect in the upcoming fifth season of "The Walking Dead".

"Outcast", due in comics stores June 25 via Image Comics, will explore similar themes to "The Walking Dead" – most notably the urgency that comes with loved ones affected by an outside force (possession instead of whatever is behind the zombie outbreak). The title, released via Kirkman's Skybound imprint, is already out-selling "The Walking Dead", which is a massive accomplishment considering the latter's recent spike in sales following the story's recent time jump. Kirkman says "Outcast" and "The Walking Dead" share other similarities as well, stating…

I think that both of them strive to be very real examinations of a very fantastical and unreal kind of situation. Although I would argue that demonic possession is certainly something that there's evidence to support the possibility that it could be a real phenomenon — much more so than zombies. I think zombies are probably definitely never going to happen (Laughs). I think people may wish that they would. But they're both stories about very real people against these horrific backdrops. That's something that I really enjoy doing.

Kirkman describes "Outcast" as a 'horror epic', and has been busy writing the pilot episode of the Cinemax series, sharing…

There are certain ways to tell a story, and certain mechanics and things that work really well in comics that don't work well on television and vice versa. There are certain opportunities to be taken when you adapt something into television, where you have motion and sound, where you can expand on and change things in very cool ways in a manner that wouldn't have worked so well in comics. To be honest, that's the fun part and the challenge of saying, "This is going to be moving and there's going to be actors, and it's going to have sound, and there are different things to be done." It's cool to limit the same story and think about it in a different way.

Kirkman also touched on what we can expect from the upcoming season of AMC's "The Walking Dead", even going as far as to address some of the rumors surrounding the potential demise of some beloved characters. There are POTENTIAL SPOILERS ahead so if you want to go in to the next season of "The Walking Dead" completely blind, be warned…there may be a nugget of truth to some of these rumors.

When asked about the likelihood that there will be major fatalities on the early side of season five, Kirkman responds…

It's always highly likely, though I wouldn't say that it's any more likely than it ever is, but it is always extremely likely. We did pull back on the reins a little bit at the end of season four. We're definitely going to hit the ground running for season five and we really don't let up very quickly at all. It's going to be a pretty fast-paced, intense season.

One recent rumor coming from the set of “The Walking Dead” suggests that an original member of the cast won’t survive for very much longer: Glenn Rhee, the scrappy former pizza delivery boy played by Steven Yeun. A couple of weeks ago, rumors circulated that Glenn’s death scene was already filmed. Kirkman, of course, would not confirm or deny the rumor, except to say that he loves that kind of fan chatter. Says Kirkman:

“I absolutely love it. It means people care and people are paying attention. So keep those rumors flying!”

We recently shared the news that Seth Gilliam has joined the cast as a character listed on the breakdowns as 'Michael Todd', although there is speculation that he is actually Father Gabriel from the comics. Kirkman says of the casting…

Every season we try to bring in new characters that add something in their own way to the cast, much in the way that Abraham (Michael Cudlitz), Eugene (Josh McDermitt) and Rosita (Christian Serratos) brought a new narrative and more character dynamics to the show. Seth Gilliam's character — whoever it may be — brings a lot of conflict and really cool character traits to the mix.

"The Walking Dead" returns to AMC in October. A specific premiere date will likely be announced at Comic-Con. "Outcast" No. 1 is released June 25 via Image Comics, with the Cinemax series still in the works. We'll keep you posted on news regarding both series as we hear it!