‘The Walking Dead’ season 7B is set to feature a host of new characters that will join Rick in the impending war against Negan. Meanwhile, executive producer Gale Anne Hurd revealed that the show’s violence and gore will be toned down following viewer backlash from season 7’s premiere episode.
According to The Mirror, several new characters are expected to join Rick (Andrew Lincoln) as he prepares war against Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) and the Saviors in the show’s upcoming second-half of season 7. A new photograph featured the main protagonist facing a new female character dressed in black in a junkyard. Rick was also surrounded with other unfamiliar faces.
It was speculated that a new group will be joining Rick and his fellow Alexandrians in the impending war against the notorious Negan, who has been tormenting communities including The Hilltop and The Kingdom in the first half of the season. This seems likely since AMC’s season 7B brief synopsis reads, “We’ll meet new survivors in incredible places.”
Season 7’s episode 6, titled “Swear,” followed Tara (Alanna Masterson) as she accidentally found herself in a new community called Oceanside. The series introduced members of Oceanside, specifically Natania (Deborah May), Rachel (Mimi Kirkland), Cyndie (Sydney Park), and Beatrice (Briana Venskus).
The trailer for the upcoming half also hinted at Rick’s plans for an uprising. It teased Alexandria’s possible alliance with the Kingdom as Rick called on other communities to his cause.
Meanwhile, series producers have decided to tone down the violence and gore on the show following backlash from fans and critics. According to Variety, executive producer Gale Anne Hurd admitted that viewer backlash from the gruesome depiction of the death of two main characters in the season premiere prompted them to make some adjustments.
Hurd said during a panel session at the NATPE conference, “We were able to look at the feedback on the level of violence… We did tone it down for episodes we were still filming for later on in the season.”
‘The Walking Dead’ season 7B is expected to return to AMC on February 12, 2017 in the United States and to Fox on February 13, 2017 in the UK.
