No, ‘The Walking Dead’ Will Probably Never Get Around to Winter Snow

Anyone who enjoys charting the course between AMC’s Walking Dead and its comic iteration can’t help noticing a few aesthetic differences, as the live-action series tends to pour out sweat in blistering heat from every direction. The comics have more evenly depicted walkers through multiple climates, but when it comes to snow, showrunner Scott Gimple has an intriguing response.

You’re warned of potential comic and TV spoilers from here on out, but AMC’s Walking Dead has generally kept to warmer months, beginning its seasonal shoots in early summer, while scenery tends to become a bit more fall-like in the final episodes of a given year. Past seasons also frequently jump about eight months in between finales and premieres, Season 5 proving a notable exception.

Of course, now that The Walking Dead has shifted from a Georgia locale to Washington D.C.-adjacent Alexandria (still shooting in Georgia at least), one wonders if the AMC horror smash might ever attempt to portray a snowier setting. Entertainment Weekly posed this very question to showrunner Scott Gimple, who seemed surprisingly open to the idea of trying:

[Snow] is a hard one and one that we struggle with. In the comics, the seasons have been represented — not all the time, but there’s been some really notable moments in the snow and even in autumn really.

That’s a challenge for us, we’re thinking about it and figuring it out. Nothing could be further from winter than our shooting schedule. That’s a challenge, and there are certain things we balance. Just being able to make the show is a challenge. These are all little feature films every week, and we push it to the limit.

We don’t want to use white cornflakes [to double as snow] if we don’t have to. It’s a challenge, and we’re gonna see what we can do. It’s something we struggle with.

Thus far of The Walking Dead Season 6, we know that Straight Outta Compton star Corey Hawkins has joined the series in the comic role of Alexandria runner Heath, alongside new additions Ethan Embry and Merrit Wever. AMC has also released a few photos, amid previews of a fleshed-out comic backstory, while we’ve broken down the Season 6 trailer, and previewed exactly how grotesque walkers will look by the October 11 premiere.

Winter or otherwise, we’ll see more of The Walking Dead Season 6 on the long road to October, so check out the trailer again below, and stay tuned for the latest from cast and crew.

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