14 SUNDAY, JULY 22, 2018 features

Cosplayers attends Comic Con British actor Andrew Lincoln arrives for “The Walking Dead” photo call

Comic- Con laments Zombies take departure of ‘Walking Dead’ over San Diego star

San Diego | United States portrayed in “The Walking Dead” has Walking Dead.” his lieutenants. proved uniquely resonant. “I love this place and I love seeing the “Fear the Walking Dead” kicked off he world’s largest fan con- Dwarfing competition like HBO’s fans, and you’ve been such a vital part the two-hour zombocalypse earlier vention bid a poignant “Game of Thrones” in the US, it has the of this experience. But my relationship with a presentation that critics agreed farewell to the star of the highest total viewership in cable histo- with Mr Grimes is far from over.” seemed to be drawing a line under all most successful show in ry and, crucially, the highest audience It was unclear if he was talking about storylines past and presenting an al- cable TV history on Friday of 18-49s for any kind of US television the current shoot for his final episodes, most entirely new show. Tas zombies took over San Diego Com- between 2013 and 2017. the possibility of appearing in one of the ic-Con. franchise’s numerous side projects, or ‘Fermentation process’ An extensive line-up of stars de - ‘Tensions rising’ something else entirely. Aired since 2015, “FtWD” doesn’t get scended on the city’s sprawling conven- The show centers on Lincoln’s Grimes, The ninth season, coming in October, the history-making numbers of the tion center to whet appetites for AMC’s who wakes up in a hospital bed after takes place two years after the “All Out main show -- but is still one of the “The Walking Dead” and its sister show getting shot, only to find he is alone in War” saga of the previous two, with top-rated US cable series with just un- “Fear the Walking Dead.” a world of vicious, flesh-eating reani- story editor Angela Kang taking over der two million viewers per episode. The departure of British actor An- mated corpses -- known as “walkers” from veteran showrunner Scott Gimple. “Fear” shocked its legion of ardent drew Lincoln, who has appeared as on the show. AMC dropped a trailer lasting almost fans by presaging its parent show and Sheriff Rick Grimes in almost every “I got kind of choked up. It’s been six minutes at Comic-Con which shows killing its protagonist -- Kim Dickens’s episode since the 2010 pilot, has been nine years of coming here,” Lincoln Rick in more peaceful times as the lead- Madison Clark -- just before the half- an open secret since May, confirmed told reporters after what will be his last er of a sprawling settlement of survi- way break of season four. inadvertently by executive producer sojourn to San Diego on behalf of “The vors -- but with tensions rising among The remaining cast -- including es- Robert Kirkman. tablished stars Colman Domingo, Aly- But the official announcement was cia Debnam-Carey, Danay Garcia and reserved for Comic-Con, an annual pop newcomers Lennie James, Garret Dilla- culture celebration that attracts more hunt, Maggie Grace and Jenna Elfman than 100,000 devotees to southern Cal- -- spoke passionately about their work. ifornia, many in elaborate costumes, But it wasn’t long before the conver- every July. sation with journalists descended into “There seems to be an elephant in the a conversation about whether zombies room. This will be my last season play- were able to “poop,” as well as snarling Actress Lauren Cohan arrives at Comic-Con ing the part of Rick Grimes,” Lincoln, and shuffling. 44, told the packed 6,500-seat Hall H, The tone was lowered as Gimple by the prospect. prompting a dismayed murmur that mentioned in passing that James’s char- Grace, most famous for ABC’s “Lost” spread throughout the arena. acter Morgan, a crossover from the and the “Taken” movies, was disdainful, “I love this show. It means everything main show, is seen on the toilet in an however, explaining that she didn’t to me. I love the people who make upcoming episode and was asked if really go in for matters “scatalogical.” this show. I promise not to cry. I’ve zombies “poop.” She was game enough to suggest, done enough crying on screen,” Lincoln “What did I say? It’s going to be the though, that we might already be wit- promised. next thing people want to know! It’s nessing the effect of many a zombie Based on a comic book of the same exactly what I said!” grandstanded a call-of-nature in every episode. name by a trio of writers including one faux-exasperated James. “That’s why they walk so strangely,” of the show’s executive producers Rob- “I think there’s a fermentation pro- she said. ert Kirkman, the post-apocalyptic zom- cess that could result in projectiles,” Season four of “Fear The Walking bie-ridden vision of the United States Cosplayer Lady Corvid poses at Comic Con in San Diego offered a wry Gimple, clearly amused Dead” resumes on August 12.