The Walking Dead fans don’t miss a thing. The major cliffhangers throughout season 6 had us analyzing tree angles, the average distance between a dumpster and the ground, and repeating “eeny meenie miny moe” at any given moment. When the show is between seasons like this, any tweet, picture, or comment made by the cast is shredded apart for clues and the speculations continue. We live for any information about the upcoming season. So when actor Daniel Newman, who plays Daniel from the Kingdom, posted a picture from the set, the spoiler flags went all the way up.
Newman posted a picture of himself, Andrew Lincoln, and Jeremy Palko (Hilltop member) to his Instagram page. The post has since been deleted, but you can see it below. The photo has the men at the Saviors’ compound, The Sanctuary, with Newman wearing his battle gear from The Kingdom. The only problem? Rick Grimes hasn’t been to The Sanctuary in the show yet, and filming for season 8 started only last week. Newman’s photo heavily implies that Rick and his group, along with The Kingdom and The Hilltop, take the fight to Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) early in the season, if not in the very first episode. Damn, Daniel.
The caption should have read: “Spoiler Alert”
The season 8 premiere of The Walking Dead will be the show’s 100th episode, so an explosive opening with all the communities fighting against The Sanctuary doesn’t seem that unusual. Also, fans are suggesting a big battle from Robert Kirkman’s graphic novels, which has Rick Grimes showing up to The Sanctuary and finding the Hilltop’s leader Gregory there, will play out on screen close to (or in) the season opener. Judging by the way season 7 ended, with the communities coming together and some members of Rick’s group reuniting for the fight ahead (RIP, Sasha), none of this is really a surprise. However, it’s still great confirmation for the fans that all-out war between the communities is coming.
There is no official release date yet, but if the other season premieres are any indication, we can expect Season 8 of The Walking Dead in late October. Catch up on the episodes from last season over on AMC’s website. If you’re feeling particularly adventurous, start the series from the beginning on Netflix.
Tori is a writer and gamer originally from Vault 111, but now she resides in Chicago. She has an MFA in creative writing-fiction, runs primarily on coffee, and is an expert on AMC’s The Walking Dead. Follow her on Twitter @torithatnerd.
