The Walking Dead: SPOILERS

I hope they dont introduce the governor in to the tv-series.
He was a really annoying character.

Of course they will. He's the reason they lose the prison as a home and, I think, his group is one of the first settlements they come by, which they'll have to eventually. It'll be interesting how much they show of the effects caused by him and things done to him.

I think they'll end the season on finding the prison (I can see it now; coming over the hill and looking down into the prison area with zombies everywhere).

Nah, this season will end with Shane getting shot in the neck. Though I suppose they can skip Hershel's farm altogether and go straight from Shane's death to them finding the prison...

The more the show drifts away from the comic book, the better off it'll be.

I was collecting the TPBs for a while. Then I switched over to buying individual issues right when Rachonne showed up. After a dozen or so issues, with so much misery, bad decision making, frustrating characters, and vicious cruelty... and a plot that crawled by inch by inch... I realized something significant. Lori was about to finally give birth and I really didn't care. I was so burned out on it all. So, I just stopped cold without learning what happened with the Governor or any of that. And I never really regretted it.

I think it's an interesting book with potential, but filled with way too many frustrating flaws. Something that could be vastly improved by, let's say, an adaptation to a new medium?

Tell ya one thing, when they first see the prison, I can't be the only fan who heard that big sting of Goblin music when the Dawn Of The Dead mall was first shown.

But then Glen doesn't get his squeeze! And I like the confrontation between the pragmatic and the faithful that results from Herschel and his clan. Actually that element of the comic has always been one of my favorites.

I don't think we see the prison at all this season. Which is fine. If a second season really is greenlit then we'll have that to look forward to then maybe a hint of The Governor and his crew at the end of that.

SOmeone else said Tom Savini would be good casting for him. After seeing him romping about in MACHETE I'm inclined to agree form a physical standpoint. But aside from MARTIN I've never thought of him as an actor who could handle emotional scenes. But it would be fun to see Michone chopping up that man.

I say they should just use the prison from prison break. Why not?

Though I do think the show will want to get to the prison as soon as possible; cheaper than shutting down an entire street and shooting in a new building every ep and etc. etc. etc.

And if they do bring in the Hershel clan, I hope they flesh them out a bit more before their flesh is torn out.

I'm guessing the prison is going to be saved for season 2 finale.

As for the Governor, I think Tom Jane is going to be cast in that role. He was originally going to be Rick when the show was being shopped around, and Darabont wants Jane to show up on the show as a villain. So I think it's the most obvious/perfect choice for that character.

No, I don't think Rick will lose his arm. I recall reading about a conversation with the creator who regretted Rick losing his arm. So I doubt he will on the TV show.

Darabont has said that he foresees them finding the prison at the end of season 2. I think this season either ends with Carl killing Shane or Otis shooting Carl. There's no way they skip over the Herschel stuff. Plus they still need to pick up Tyrese before hitting the prison. And I believe Darabont has said that Michonne will show up earlier than she does in the books.

If you take them to the prison right away you're skipping over a lot of material. You need to spend more time with them because you really need to care when all this grotesquely awful stuff starts happening at the prison.

That was about when the series lost me.

Darabont has stated that Michonne is his favorite character. He loves her entrance into the series. A lone woman wielding a samurai sword with two zombies leashed up. He loves that. So I'm not sure her character will change all that much.

This kind of makes me nervous. I really like the character and she could potentially work very well, but her big story arch so far has revolved around Philip the governor- a character who is so fucking over the top and supervillain-y that he felt out of place even in the comics.

Hopefully he is either completely reworked or they give her something else.

EDIT: I wonder if that helicopter was perhaps foreshadowing. The Woodbury chopper?

I imagine the season ending with Carl shooting Shane. Some poor decisions will be made by Shane leading to a bunch of deaths at the hands of the undead. This leads to the argument. Which escalates.

Hopefully we'll be left with the core group of Rick, Lori, Carl, Dale, Glenn, Andrea, and maybe two other original ones. And the show will be better off in terms of character.

I hope Jim gets his moment, because I really felt for him.

I also hope we meet that crazy bitch Carol next season.

Wow people are waaaaay too eager to get to the prison arc. Episode 7?!? A ton of stuff happens before they find the prison, it would be pretty foolish to skip over it. I can see them discovering it in the last scene of season 2, though.
My predictions:
End of Season 1: Shane is killed by Carl.
Season 2 is travelling, with both Herschel & Michonne introduced.
The prison stuff can take up all of Season 3, with Woodbury maybe not coming up until the end of 3 even. I dunno.

I do hope they thin out the crowd a lot, though. These extra characters are pretty unnecessary (same goes for the comic, really).

Anybody else find it weird to see Andrea without her scar?

Unless he's played by Gary Oldman reprising his role from Book of Eli.

I always assumed Darabont-alum William Sadler would be playing The Governor.

And I'm reeeeal anxious to get to some Jeffrey DeMunn as Dale scenes. In fact, its difficult for me to watch the show, because I don't consider characters like T-Dog or those other two "real" characters: Andrea and Glen on the other hand...

Anyone else have that problem?

@Syd: It wouldn't be so bad if those extraneous characters were really interesting. So far, no dice, though.

I'm guessing that, rather than just Shane's poor leadership resulting in Amy and Jim's death, it will result in the death of everyone except our main characters, thus putting more guilt on Shane.

Don't know how spoiled people want to be, but looking at the episode list and casting on IMDB points to even more significant departures from the comic storyline.

I'm not feeling the new characters, either - I think they're being set up as redshirts, for the most part. T-Dog, in particular, needs to become zombie chow right quick, so Tyrese can take his place. And all I could think about watching Michael Rooker play psycho redneck guy was how great he would have been as Abraham, later on.

I'm starting to wonder if Shane meets the same fate as he does in the comic - Josh Bernthal gets second billing just so he can get shot by a 7 year old 6 episodes in?

Well, it could be the classic "they'd never kill of a main character, would they?" ploy...though to be honest its looking less and less like this season will end the same way the first volume did. For one thing, we haven't spent nearly enough time at the camp with the other characters. Granted its only two episodes in, but with next week looking like they'll go back to deal with Michael Rooker's character, time to flesh out all the folks at the camp site is looking less and less.

Just looking at IMDB, the camp has WAY too many characters to set up with only 4 more episodes left.

Of the original campers there are:

Rick, Lori, & Carl Grimes
Glen & Shane
Dale, Andrea, & Amy
Crazy Carol & Sophia (they actually appear next episode)
Jim

(Allen & Donna and their twins are absent)

That's eleven so far, not counting the 4 others that you see but aren't named. Then add in these new characters:

Ed, T-Dog, Jacqui
Merle & Daryl Dixon
Morales, Miranda and her (their?) kids Eliza and Louis

20+ characters so far with Tyrese and Michonne confirmed for later, which means Tyrese's daughter and her boyfriend (likely). That's way too many characters this early in the show. Then, possibly, Hershel and his clan... I'm hoping the heard starts getting thinned out real soon.

Hey! The woman playing Carol is the same one who went back for her kids and appeared at the end of The Mist! Good for her, and good for Darabont for bringing her into this series.

Shane has to go at the end of season 1, that's the big hook there, if season 2 is a full season (13 on AMC right?) then that's a lot of time at the farm and on the road, but reaching the prison is clearly the natural end of series 2 and series 3 is entirely in the prison.

I'm looking forward to the maggie - glenn relationship starting at the farm, they really got some mileage out of it in the comic and people are already getting obsessed with Glenn.

When I saw Rooker, I thought it was Abraham - and I loved the idea of having him come back as the Abraham character much much later in the story.

the woodbury story could easily be turned down a little (less cartoony?) so it was easier to swallow, but I don't think they'll be cutting back on the torture.

Personally, i hope they stick (at least broadly) to the comic for as long as possible, partly so I can enjoy some of the moments on film I enjoyed on paper.

I'm really pleased that this thread is here because the TV one has rapidly become the most irritating one on the boards, i really want to spoil it all there just to shut them up but I don't even want to post there anymore.

For the record, I really like the comic and despite a few minor faults (which isn't bad for 80 issues) I'm still really enjoying it - even if it seems like it's retreading stories a bit.

I know I'm going to be alone in this. But if they do go to the prison I hope they don't bring in The Governor. The character is so off the walls, that it wouldn't fit with the tone I've seen in the show so far. I brought up in the other thread, that I'd like to the Governor replaced with a religous nut job, gathering up sheep. A guy who says he has all the answers... why this happened, what they need to do. I could see an awesome scenero where some of Rick's group wants to join up with them. Yeah, I know it's retread of the themes in the Mist, but come on, i don't want to see Zombie gladiator games, and Rick get his hand cut off (biggest mistake in the comics IMO).

Again, we will likely see the Governor since his actions have effect later on (the storming of the prison, death of Lori, etc.). Plus it would be a great character for a really good actor to chew up scenes with. I think his little town is the first organized "safe" area they come across as well. They could possibly conceive a character who is a combination of both the Governor and a religious nut job, though, and remove the gladiator games. However in all apocalyptic type movies/shows there is always some form of entertainment for the masses.

Also, the religious angle may be a retread of the themes in The Mist, but in both situations, a person like that is highly likely to come about and gather followers.

The comic's creator has said he regrets Rick losing his arm, so I don't think they will on the show.

There's no way they do away with the Governor. The whole conflict with the Governor is what the book has become known for.

Yeah, but the book has also become known for squandering an awesome beginning and becoming total crap.

Tomato, tomahto.

I don't have a lot of the problems with the books that a lot of people here do (though I won't say there haven't been dips in quality throughout the series) but I'm confident that Darabont will make whatever route he chooses to take work. I don't really mind if they stray far away from the books as long as I get my Tyrese and Michonne.

Yeah, the governor is going to show up at some point. Kind of hope it's not Thomas Jane, the Gov is just so damned broken and evil.

Fan casting wankery I know, but I'd rather see William Sadler or Thomas Haden Church play the big bad.

Thomas Jane did make refference to wanting a certian part if the series went to two seasons... hmmmmmm.


Jackson, we both posted at the same time... LOL. Mine wasn't a response to your post. Too funny

ok, that's a bit harsh. Ha ha ha, "total crap"? sure, whatever.

casting idea's for our female samurai? And how to pull her off correctly?

Stephen Lang

Give Thomas Jane an epic mustache and he could EASILY play Abraham.

Absolutely

Michonne: Naomie Harris. - tough, British, Sexy and skilled with zombies.

Incidentally, I always thought of the Governor as being, well, not a white guy, I always had him down as a kind of Danny Trejo type.

The other thing is that, as we get into the second and third seasons, they'll have some pretty good names in the frame for "Cameos".

Also, fancasting:

Wesley Snipes for Tyreese, I just like that aging footballer thing, and that moment when he winds up locked in the gym over night. Pure Snipes.

Michael Clarke Duncan for Dexter.

Noamie Harris, while a good choice, would just encourage the haters even more to draw 28 Days Later comparisons

Tracie Thoms is the one and only choice.

I was always on the Tracie Thoms bandwagon but I actually like the Naomie Harris suggestion a lot.

Oh, and Michael Jai White is the only man for Tyrese in my mind.

He's my choice, too.

As much as I like the Michonne casting ideas, I'd much prefer the talented unknown we'll most likely get. From that first iconic reveal in the comics, she's an enigma. We don't know if she will prove hero or villain, friend or just another psycho. She's so ruthlessly badass (and destructive to the group by tempting Tyreese) that she's a bit troubling. Should the audience trust here? To have an actor with past associations would weaken that. Once she starts talking to people who aren't there, I don't want to be reminded of the 'Booya' babe or some other character.

Well, I think if the actor is good enough that shouldn't be a problem. When I saw Lennie James, I immediately knew who he was, but I wasn't running Snatch quotes through my head, you know?

And as much as I'm in love with the idea of Tracie Thoms as Michonne, a teeny tiny part of me would like to see Mrs. Smith herself, Jada in the role. But she's busy with her own show.

All I know is, whoever they get to play Michonne, if she's good, should play Agent 355 in Y the Last Man, too.

The Zombies can still rip you ass apart if they get a hold of you, presumeably why MIchonne has cut the arms off her "pets".

I like the Traci Thoms casting, she'd definitely be fantastic as 355.

a small thing: i know it tends not to matter but at 5' jada has to be too small for Michonne, she'd have to yoda with that sword.

As i said, by the time 3rd season rolls around there'll be some names available for this show, especially as most have a definitive lifespan ("Wanna be the governor for 6 episodes, then get shot and fed to zombies?"). Admittedly it was (IMHO) - plot wise - kinda weak when suddenly Robert Loggia and Steve Buscemi were in the Sopranos but as far as geeking out on their performances it was very cool.

I like Jai White for Tyreese, i thought he was a bit young initially (i liked the fact that Tyreese was a faded sports star who could still go), but he's just well preserved for 43, making him perfect.