The Walking Dead Season 8 first look trailer at SDCC

The Walking Dead returns to television screens this October only on Fox.

A new 5-minute trailer for season 8 premiered during a panel with cast and crew at SDCC. It teases a time jump and promises more action. Season 7 lost dramatic impetus in a reprise of the second season (the first time I stopped watching the apocalyptic soap noir). So much so, I didn't bother continuing after the mid-season break. By this time, DCTV had my exclusive attention.



On the strength of this trailer, I'll resume The Walking Dead when all box sets start streaming again on NOW TV this September.

In related news. During the quieter summer months - the return of Game of Thrones notwithstanding - I'm catching up with genre series that didn't warrant immediate viewing.

Fear the Walking Dead seemingly continues to struggle to find a voice despite an impressive cast. Oftentimes the production is middling and there's a palpable lack of fear factor despite a promising start. Presumably, AMC has invested too much in the brand to mothball the prequel series for now. Fear the Walking Dead requires a soft reboot.

The Walking Dead shuffles back on 23rd October on Fox.

Bumblebee may get a Transformers spin-off movie

The Transformers cinematic franchise is undergoing a seismic shift to encompass transmedia storytelling as seen in the spectacularly successful Marvel Cinematic Universe and DC Universe.

A writer's room is being assembled, by director Michael Bay and producer Steven Spielberg, including Robert Kirkman (The Walking Dead), Jeff Pinkner (Fringe) and Andrew Barrer & Gabriel Ferrari (Ant-Man), with the aim of developing sequels and spin-offs set in the same cinematic universe. One such project maybe a prequel set on the robots' homeworld of Cybertron.

Hasbro CEO Brian Goldner has hinted at a Bumblebee spin-off:

"As we go forward, we would imagine several more Transformers Movies,” Goldner said (via TFW2005.com). “Not just in the current lineage but also spin-offs and focusing on certain key characters that are beloved by the world over. Many of you know Bumblebee; the yellow Camaro… formally known as a yellow VW Bug. He is a beloved character by kids all over the world. We could see stories told around Bumblebee and other characters. We are in a process of building the brand equity around the comic book business, our TV Business, our digital gaming business and adding to that our new movie business of Transformers.”

Despite my enthusiasm for the first Transformers movie, the franchise quickly derailed, in creative terms, despite continued box office success. That said, I enjoyed Age of Extinction more than I'd care to admit; I'm a sucker for dinosaurs and robots...

The Walking Dead spin-off gets two-season order

AMC has commissioned two-seasons of The Walking Dead spin-off, which serves as a prequel to the hit apocalyptic series.

“We feel empowered by this two-season commitment, a serious show of faith from our network partner AMC,” Robert Kirkman said. "I personally take it as a sign that they believe, like we do, that we've accomplished our goal of developing something original that can pay tribute to the original show and expand the world I created while at the same time having something new to say with this story. I’m very grateful that we now have the opportunity to tell this amazing story and show the fans that we really haven't scratched the surface yet when it comes to The Walking Dead.”



The new series will be shown internationally 24 hours after its US premiere. This follows what Fox does with The Walking Dead. Thus diminishing spoilers and piracy to an extent.

The Walking Dead is now in its fifth season on Fox and has taken a compelling philosophical turn since the mid-season premiere.

You can watch the latest series on NOW TV for just £6.99 a month. No contract.

The Walking Dead renewed for sixth season

The Walking Dead has been renewed for a sixth season ahead of the fifth season premiere this Sunday on Fox. The episode will be shown the following day in the UK. There's no news on whether or not there'll be a simulcast as with 24: Live Another Day and Game of Thrones, which is a missed opportunity.

“We could not be more excited for October 12th as we share new episodes of ‘The Walking Dead’ with fans around the globe,” said AMC President Charlie Collier. “In advance of Sunday’s season five premiere, AMC proudly confirms a sixth season order of this extraordinary series. Thank you to Robert Kirkman, Scott Gimple, the terrific executive producers, and the entire team who brings this compelling world and these rich characters to life. There’s plenty more Dead ahead thanks to their impressive, collective effort.”

A spin-off to The Walking Dead is currently in production and will be set in another part of the world. The pilot is penned by Robert Kirkman and Dave Erickson.

The Walking Dead S1-4 box sets are available to binge-view on NOW TV as part of the Entertainment Month Pass for just £4.99 a month until 16th October, £6.99 a month thereafter. No contract.