The co-creator of the original Walking Dead comic book Robert Kirkman spoke with EW in anticipation for the upcoming fifth season and revealed a few tidbits about the comics remaining lifespan and what that possibly means for the TV series (which he produces as well). He now says that he knows exactly how the comic is going to end but didn’t offer any clues as to just what that ending might look like. He added that he even has the exact last page of the comic (and last scene of the show) planned out in his head.
"About a year or two ago, I finally nailed down exactly what I want the ending to be, so now I've kind of got two trails of story going in my head. One working to where I'm at very far into the future, and one working from the end backwards. When those two stories meet, then I'll know exactly how long the story is. I'm rapidly approaching that point."
It can't be easy to keep in mind the comic story of The Walking Dead and the TV story which has put its own spin on storylines and characters since the beginning. He revealed he has multiple versions of The Walking Dead working in his head; how does the man manage to sleep at night? Kirkman does worry about something though; he told EW "hav[ing] enough seasons to get enough of the comic books into the show," although he's currently working on a plan to see to it that both properties are wrapped up properly.
He doesn't know how many issues he has left, but knows how it will end:
"I do know what I'm building toward, yes, I don't know exactly what issue that's going to fall on, per se, and I do have a lot of road laid out before that that is going to take a long time, but I certainly know exactly what I'm building to."
So in summation, Kirkman knows when his comic will end, and seems to have it planned out pretty well in his head. As for the show, we all know how that goes right? It will likely end when the ratings begin to drop and it isn’t as profitable anymore. Is that even possible with The Walking Dead? If Rick and Daryl die it is.
When do you think the show should end? Tell us your idea below and beware of SPOILERS.
Season 5 of The Walking Dead kicks off on October 12, 2014.