The Walking Dead season 11 set photo teases scene from one of the final episodes

Norman Reedus and Melissa McBride in The Walking Dead
(Image credit: AMC)

A set photo from The Walking Dead season 11 (AKA the final season of AMC’s long-running zombie series) contains a "first" for one of the key creatives on the show.

Cinematographer and director of photography Duane Manwiller posted a shot of armor-clad guards from the Commonwealth – with a difference (H/T ComicBook.com).

As revealed by Manwiller, the scene is dusted with real-life snow, a first during his half-decade stint on the series. 

Wintry conditions aside, this glimpse behind-the-scenes of The Walking Dead’s final season hints at the Commonwealth remaining major players across the show’s endgame. Another sizeable force, the Reapers, underwent a dramatic change of leadership in The Walking Dead season 11A’s finale.

Expect to see some tear-filled farewells and goodbyes from set very soon. Manwiller said in January on Instagram that "we only have THREE left to film and the season will be completed."

The Walking Dead season 11 began in 2021 and consists of a gargantuan 24 episodes, split across three sets of eight episodes. The show is set to return for its second batch of episodes on February 20 and will come to a close in late March. The Walking Dead’s final eight episodes, meanwhile, will air in late 2022.

Beyond that, the future of The Walking Dead is looking bright. A Carol and Daryl spinoff is in the works, as is new anthology series Tales of the Walking Dead. That is mooted to be "an episodic anthology with individual episodes or arcs of episodes focused on new or existing characters, backstories or other stand-alone experiences." A trilogy of Walking Dead movies, with a returning Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes, is also in development.

While you wait for The Walking Dead to lurch towards its conclusion, revisit the show’s greatest moments with our countdown of the best Walking Dead episodes

Bradley Russell

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.