AMC monster hit 'The Walking Dead' may have its own real-life drama to contend with for the moment, but we're more interested to see what becomes of Rick and his fractured group when 2014 picks up in the aftermath of midseason finale "Too Far Gone." While we wait, showrunner Scott Gimple and Robert Kirkman have revealed new details of the latest run and the possibility of the series' next great villain!

Speaking with TVGuide, Gimple confirmed that the next leg of the story would pick up with Rick and Carl on their own attempting to survive after the prison's fall, while Rick suffers the apparent loss of his baby daughter Judith. We're not entirely sure if that bloody car seat implies what Rick took it to mean in the finale, though Gimple teased Rick's next challenge all the same:

It's going to hit [Rick] in a way that we haven't seen before. If it's just the two of them, [Carl is] going to have to step up quite a bit because circumstances are wildly different and a lot will depend on him in terms of them just surviving. They don't have an awesome, dual-layer fence and brick buildings to hide behind. They're out in the world.

Beyond that, the series will naturally undergo a bit of restructuring as the survivors find their way back to one another and a safe haven of sorts, but how long will it be before another Governor-esque villain pops up, like that of comic baddie Negan? Series creator Robert Kirkman told Entertainment Weekly it might be awhile before the Savior-leading villain pops up in any live-action form:

I definitely do think there needs to be some kind of space from a Governor into a Negan. You have to have something of a break in there. So I wouldn’t expect him to be showing up — definitely not in season 4. I don’t know. I wouldn’t expect it too soon. But we are all very excited about the prospect of bringing that guy into the show. The plan is that we will see him eventually.

What do you think? Would 'The Walking Dead' do well to introduce another villain sooner rather than later, or would you like to see more individual survival stories, like that of the upcoming tale between Rick and Carl? What would you want to see unite the scattered groups of survivors once more? Check out that 2014 trailer again below, and give us your predictions for the February premiere in the comments!

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