The Walking Dead making of season 9 video teases ‘cowboys and zombies’ and more

Cast and crew preview season 9 with a new behind-the-scenes video, teasing a season that will bring back elements fans love the most.

In a new behind-the-scenes video previewing season 9 of The Walking Dead, new showrunner Angela Kang reveals we’re about to witness “a new chapter” for our survivors. Thanks to a confirmed time jump, the latest season of The Walking Dead will show our survivors a year and a half after the epic battle with the Saviors and Negan.

Per comments from cast and crew in this teaser, it’s apparent season 9 won’t just be about survival. We’re going to get a good look at humanity’s growth in a post-apocalyptic environment.

“The world has evolved. So what’s going to be really exciting I think for the fans is to see how we’re adapting to that,” Danai Gurira, who plays Michonne, explains.

How will the mixed communities thrive and survive, especially when there is still tension between pretty much everyone else and The Saviors? How will agriculture, transportation, and construction of homes be impacted by outside forces — nature, walkers, and more?

And what happens when, as Andrew Lincoln mentions in the video, “there’s not thousands of bullets” and people are “running out of things.” Kang adds to this dark foreshadowing with the fact that our survivors must face challenges with each other and the “degrading” world around them.

This behind-the-scenes video is definitely doing the work to reinvigorate Walking Dead fans — a show that has had its struggles with ratings and viewership.

Executive Producer and Director Greg Nicotero offers a glimmer of hope, saying the new season will give “fans the show they fell in love with. The characters that have chemistry, the characters that have history, the characters that we want to see together.”

Andrew Lincoln offers the same sentiment, telling fans that this season is “the show I always hoped we’d get to when we shot the pilot.” (Granted, did it have to take nine seasons to get us here? A debate for another time, Andy.)

Perhaps the best description of all for season 9? It’s gonna be the Wild Wild Walker West (well, South, but you get the gist.)

“It’s cowboys and zombies,” Lincoln humorously teases.

Watch The Walking Dead‘s season 9 behind-the-scenes preview here:

The Walking Dead returns for season 9 on October 7 on AMC.