Entertainment NOW

2 • August 14 - 20, 2022 Entertainment Now By Sarah Passingham TV Media A nyone who has ever tuned in to any of the series in The Walking Dead franchise knows that the 'Walkers' outnumber the living by a lot. With hordes of un- dead Walkers roaming an apoca- lyptic world, looking for uninfect- ed humans to feed on, there are plenty of stories of survival left to tell. AMC introduces a brand- new chapter to the franchise Sunday, Aug. 14, when "Tales of the Walking Dead" premieres its very first episode. This new series builds up indi- vidual worlds within the Walking Dead universe by adopting an epi- sodic anthology structure. "Tales of the Walking Dead" uses each of its six one-hour episodes to tell a solitary character story from the zombie outbreak. This unique iteration of the franchise stars Parker Posey ("Lost in Space"), Jil- lian Bell ("Roar"), Daniella Pineda ("Jurassic World Dominion," 2022) and Danny Ramirez ("Top Gun: Maverick," 2022) as people fighting to survive in a world newly filled with bloodthirsty, creeping monsters. If you've missed the wave of "The Walking Dead," its spinoff series "Fear the Walking Dead" and "The Walking Dead: World Beyond," and the fan-theory discussion after show, "Talking Dead," the franchise's story be- gins with a globe-spanning event that awakens the dead with a sin- gular, uncontrollable urge to seek out fresh flesh at any cost. Every strain of zombie is a bit different from the others, and while the Walkers — as they are called in this universe — aren't especially fast, they are persistent. Walkers are attracted to audible signs of human life and will travel miles to follow sounds like gunshots, fortress construction and even noisy foraging. Fans of the franchise will recog- nize a certain controversial exist- ing character in the mix with all of the new survivors of "Tales of the Walking Dead." The villainous Alpha, por- trayed by "Harlots" actress Samantha Morton, appeared in Seasons 9 and 10 of "The Walk- ing Dead" as the leader of one of the most frightening sects of those evading the roaming walkers, The Whisperers. Clothed in the skins of Walkers (ick!) in order to shuffle among them un- detected, the group antagonized the series' heroes and eventu- ally waged war over the Hilltop sanctuary. While more recognizable with a shaved head — practical for donning rotting skin suits — and face paint, in promotional stills released by AMC in June it ap- pears that "Tales of the Walking Dead" will be filling in the gaps of her story from before her Alpha days, when she was known as Dee, a woman who almost looks at peace on the waterfront. There are also some pretty big names joining the cast of "Tales of the Walking Dead," each revealed in character via those promotional photos. "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" actor Terry Crews and "The Newsroom" star Olivia Munn hit the road in a motorcycle and sidecar as Joe and Evie, while "Hacks" actress Poppy Liu's character, Amy, keeps an eye out in the forest. Proud of their fresh new take on the mega-popular zombie franchise, Dan McDermott, presi- dent of original programming for AMC Networks and AMC Studios, said the following in a statement: "We see so much potential for a wide range of rich and compel- ling storytelling in this world and the episodic anthology format of 'Tales of the Walking Dead' will give us the flexibility to entertain existing fans and also offer an entry point for new viewers." McDermott also nodded to the proven success of episodic anthology shows, such as "Black Mirror" and the recent revival of TV classic "The Twilight Zone." Cover Story Daniella Pineda and Danny Ramirez in "Tales of the Walking Dead" Undead alive: New stories expand the 'Walking Dead' world Ready Rental 3 x 4 Hayley Siefert 3 x 2 Letters & Numbers Sudoku Fill in the grid so that every row,every column, and every 4x4 box contains the digits 1 through 9 AND the letters A-F. Solution on page 12. Advertise Your Business In Call Advertising at 217-477-5105

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