The eleventh season of The Walking Dead is going to be one to remember. This will be the finale for the core show, wrapping up plotlines that have been developing ever since that first episode aired in October 2010. If all had gone to plan, we would’ve been getting ready to watch it now, but COVID-19 meant that the final outings of season 10 were delayed, which in turn pushed back the season 11 shoot.
We finally have confirmation that work has begun, though, with the show’s official Twitter account posting a photo from the first day back on set. It depicts a battle-damaged and burnt out Alexandria in the immediate wake of the Whisperer War. However, while the survivors might have come out on top there (thanks to Daryl’s knife skills), it’s a case of ‘out of the frying pan and into the fire’ as they tangle with the enigmatic Commonwealth.
Already familiar to readers of the comic, the Commonwealth is a community numbering about 50,000 with access to advanced technology and extravagant wealth. Their society is structured according to your job prior to the apocalypse. So, if you were a builder, you’d be lower class and if you were a lawyer you’d be upper class. This stratification inevitably causes tension, though the leaders smooth problems over with rare luxuries like concerts, sports events and restaurants.
Showrunner Angela Kang recently commented on the Commonwealth in an interview with the LA Times, saying:
“The Commonwealth story really touches on things I think are very relevant about class and about society. Robert Kirkman really tapped into something that I think a lot of us are thinking about. Obviously we’ve had to pivot to these other episodes that are part of the sort of Season 10 continuation bloc, and then for Season 11 there’s just these stories with themes that are meaningful to all of us.”
But just because season 11 is the finale that doesn’t mean The Walking Dead is over. AMC reportedly have plans for another ten years of post-apocalyptic action, encompassing further seasons of Fear the Walking Dead and The Walking Dead: World Beyond, a road trip show about Daryl and Carol, anthology project Tales of the Walking Dead, some kind of comedic outing, a series with an LGBTQ focus and a new TV project exploring a villainous character.
Before all that, however, The Walking Dead commences its intriguing-sounding season 10C on February 28th. Strap in, folks, because the next year or so is going to be one hell of a ride.