Although the majority of TWD’s tenth season has been finished, AMC confirmed there would be a significant delay before the finale is finally shown on screens.
This is due to the coronavirus pandemic putting the major post-production undertaking on hold, as it has done for many other popular television shows.
Showrunner Angela Kang confirmed the episode was close to completion, so it is expected A Certain Doom will air at some point in 2020 as a one-off TWD special.
In the meantime, fans have been speculating what will go down when new Whisperer leader Beta (played by Ryan Hurst) finally faces off against the Hilltop survivors.
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The imposing lieutenant became the new commander of the sinister army when Alpha (Samantha Morton) was beheaded by Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan).
Having made an impression as a physical force to be reckoned with, Beta had the potential to stick around as a formidable threat when TWD finally returns for season 11.
However, a recent casting development may have confirmed Ryan Hurst’s duties on The Walking Dead may be coming to an end sooner than expected.
Hulu confirmed Ryan Hurst would join the cast of upcoming TV adaptation The Mysterious Benedict Society in a lead role.
Ryan will join other cast members Kristen Schaal, MaameYaa Boafo, Gia Sandhu, Mystic Inscho, Emmy DeOliveira, Seth Carr and Marta Timofeeva.
Hulu’s previous efforts at adapting popular novels, including The Handmaid’s Tale and Little Fires Everywhere, have been met with critical acclaim, so fans of the books are hoping the upcoming series will do the popular saga justice.
Meanwhile, the news spells trouble for Ryan Hurst’s character on The Walking Dead.
Beta has since become a complex character in his own right since his introduction in season nine.
Although the Whisperer heavy has kept his leathery mask on during the majority of his tenure on TWD, last month Beta was revealed to be a country singer before the zombie apocalypse.
This was a major departure from Robert Kirkman’s original comic books, where Beta was actually a basketball player.
No release date has been confirmed for season 11, but it is expected to adapt Kirkman’s pivotal Commonwealth arc from his long-running graphic novels.
The Walking Dead season 10 returns to Fox UK and AMC later in 2020.