Highlights from the "Walking Dead" Comic-Con 2011 Panel

[JamesG]

10 Cool Things From "The Walking Dead" Panel at Comic-Con
Jul 22, 2011
by Hanh Nguyen


"It's all about slim chances now, and a slim chance is better than none."

This grim, yet hopeful statement wraps up the Season 2 trailer of AMC's "The Walking Dead" that premiered at Comic-Con on Friday in San Diego. The zombie series is currently in production in Georgia, but the cast and crew took a break from the heat and ticks (yes, ticks) to sit in an air-conditioned ballroom to share a few choice morsels with fans.

Laurie Holden, who plays Andrea, promises, "If you're a fan of The Walking Dead graphic novel, you're going to love this season."







1. Hungry? Here's a pre-Halloween snack:
Season 2 will premiere on Sunday, Oct. 16 at 9/8c on AMC.





2. Continuity will be seamless.

Creator Frank Darabont says, "It picks up about five seconds in an overlap with the end of the first season. It's literally them driving away from the CDC. So none of this bullsh-- six months later stuff."





3. Chandler Riggs, who plays Carl, will get his moment.

Carl's on-screen mother, played by Sarah Wayne Callies, says, "He did a scene the other day that I can't tell you anything about. It will take your breath away. He moved through a series of emotions -- from terror, to peace, to beauty to loss with a fluidity that every actor could learn from. He is going to blow your mind this year."





4. Rick Grimes is still in progress, comic book writer Robert Kirkman says.

"The comic book series has been going for so long that I've had the time to ... do all these horrible things to Rick Grimes that have made him eventually turn into the character he's become.

I think the plan is to get there, but it's not something we can rush. We have to take our time with it and do it in a way that makes sense in the show just like I did in the comic book."





5. Kirkman reveals his dream casting for three characters.

"Ed O'Neill, Ed O'Neill and Ed O'Neill," he says.

"It's a really good thing I'm not the final call in casting because I would just cast actors I wanted to hang out with. I've loved Ed O'Neill since 'Married ... With Children' and he's awesome in 'Modern Family'.

And my second go-to is John Stamos."





6. Steven Yeun has an atypical day on set.

"You wake up, you do a tick check, you go to work ... you sweat yor butt off and then you go home and do another tick check," he shares.

"One of them climbed my mountain and planted a flag right on the peak of the mountain. Holy fresh!"





7. Norman Reedus has embraced Daryl.

"Down in Georgia, I bought a truck, I bought a redneck truck with big black wheels on it," he says. "So I have all these rednecks in these bada-- trucks waving to me and everything."





8. Kirkman's zombie preparedness plan is simple.

"I would kill myself. It's not like I'd have any desire to really kill myself, so don't start reading into anything," he says. "

I've written this stuff so long and I've seen what happens to people in this world. I thought it was ridiculous when people go, like, 'Well, I'd hole up in my school because they have a lot of showers. And then I'd use a baseball bat. That would be my weapon of choice.' I'm like, 'No, you wouldn't; you would be someone's pet.' So yeah, I'd jump off a bridge."





9. Blood tastes good, but mouthwash is another story.

"We make the fake blood out of corn syrup and food coloring, so it doesn't taste gross," reveals makeup artist-consulting producer Greg Nicotero.

"But we have a little mouth rinse that blackens their gums and their tongues so that there's no pink inside the mouth, and that stuff tastes disgusting."





10. And of course, here's the trailer for Season 2:

http://www.tvguide.com/News/Walking-...n-1035581.aspx