The creator of The Walking Dead has said he is preparing to bring the comic book series to an end.
Robert Kirkman began writing the comics on which the popular TV series is based in 2003. The series is currently on its 169th issue.
At a panel during San Diego’s Comic-Con, the author revealed his plans to conclude the book part of the franchise imminently.
“I think about two or three years ago, I had a pretty good idea for a definitive ending,” he told those in attendance. “I have known that since then and been working towards that, so I know exactly where I’m going and what’s gonna happen when I get there.”
Kirkman said that the actual ending is top secret and he hasn’t written it down as a precaution. He also said the series could have ended a lot sooner. “There was an ending I had in mind that I was thinking, ‘Oh this would be kind of a cool ending.’ I got to a point where it should’ve happened and I was like, ‘I’m not done yet.’ And this was before the show.
“It got to a point where I would’ve had to start building to it and I was like, ‘Nah.’ So, I just threw that out and then I just kept going because I had all kinds of cool stuff I wanted to do.”
As MoviePilot points out, the end of the comics doesn’t necessarily mean the end of the TV show. The series still has plenty of material left to work with, while strong ratings make it unlikely AMC will cancel the programme.
In the meantime, one of the reasons Kirkman gave for wanting to bring the series to an end was his ability to keep things interesting.
“It’s actually more difficult to write The Walking Dead than its ever been because we’ve done a lot of stuff,” he explained. “To be able to top yourself, and keep things fresh, and keep things interesting… It gets harder and harder and harder as you go. Knowing what the end game is and working towards that, makes it a little bit easier.”