Here’s why The Walking Dead will never do a Game of Thrones and overtake its source material

If you’re a dual The Walking Dead comic book/TV show fan you’ve probably had one eye on just how quickly the show is speeding through certain storylines. Have no fear though, the showrunners have no intention of ever pulling a Game of Thrones and catching up to its source material – and here’s why.

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter (h/t Collider), the creative team behind AMC’s zombie hit made no bones about the show overtaking the comic books, as showrunner Scott Gimple says, "I don't know if anyone sat down to do the math, but if the show is gaining on the comic book, it's at a very slow pace,"

Gimple also adds, "We're expanding storylines so every now and then we zip through the comic book, and then we slow down for a while and add a bunch of stuff that's not in the comics. There's not any danger of [overtaking the comic series] happening in any way."

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Executive Producer David Alpert even has a (tongue-in-cheek) timeframe for when the show is poised to catch up to the comics: "When we get to season 20, then I think we'll be caught up."

At least, I hope he’s joking…

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.