The Walking Dead Producers Talk Season 3 and Introducing Michonne, The Governor, the Prison and More

With The Walking Dead returning for the much-anticipated Season 3 this Sunday, I recently had the chance to sit down with executive producers Robert Kirkman and Glen Mazzara to discuss what fans can expect this year.

Kirkman, the creator of The Walking Dead, and Mazzara, who serves as showrunner, talked about the introduction of key comic book elements this season, how the characters are evolving and much more.

For those who are super spoiler-phobic, no big twists and turns are revealed, beyond previously and officially revealed story elements of Season 3, though some basic plot details – and one cool zombie-visual -- from the season premiere are discussed.

IGN TV: How did you decide to do the time jump? Robert, you’ve about how, if you think about it, the first two seasons were pretty compressed, time-wise. This is a pretty big leap to make just as far as how much we’ve seen these people to this point.

Robert Kirkman: I know that one of the vehicles that come from television that I really like is the gap between seasons. I really love it when shows do that. I think The Sopranos did it really well. They were off the air for 18 months, and when they came back 18 months had passed in the lives of the characters. I think that’s a really cool thing. To me, it’s always fun to come in a little late in the game and see the characters in a much different light, and then spend the first episode going, “Oh, that’s what this person is doing now,” and, “Oh, they have this opinion now,” and, “Oh, these behaviors are a little bit different.” You know, it casts the characters in a bit of a different light. It also helps you separate things from season to season, which I think is really cool.

Glen Mazzara: Yeah, and I think it was important to show the effects of Rick’s leadership on the group. They’ve come together, they’re a tight-knit group -- that’s interesting. It was kind of exciting for us to advance the story and let the audience catch up. I guarantee people are going to say, “Are we ever going to see a flashback episode of what happened during the winter?” I’m going to go on record and say, “No. You’re seeing the story we want you to see, and this is part of a new story.” So we really wanted to advance things, move things forward and let the audience catch up.

IGN: Going in, you’ve got two characters that you’re introducing, both from the comics and both with a lot of expectations and a lot of popularity. On a visual level, Michonne is obviously matching with the comics much more than the Governor. How much did you debate did you have about how much you wanted to stick to the comics with those two characters?

Mazzara: First of all, we went with the best actors, who came in and really got the roles and got the characters and we’re very, very happy with the work that David [Morrissey] and Danai [Gurira] are doing. And they’ve added so much throughout the season. The question came up about Michonne’s iconic look, with the dreads, and that was something that was important to Robert - that she match the look of the character in the comic books. So we worked on that. Originally, I wasn’t so sure. I was afraid a wig might look fake. But we had conversations and experimented with the wig until it was to everybody’s satisfaction. We went ahead with it. With the Governor, he’s a developing character, so what you see is just what you’re getting now. But that’s a character that will continue to evolve and change, and we’ll see what happens with him. But that character did change in the comic book. People tend to forget that.

IGN: Robert, I’m sure it’s been funny for you to see that there can be super fans of the comic who are more precious about things being changed than you are and want everything to stay exactly the same. How do you go about making those decisions on what’s really important to you to look or stay the same, both visually or in other ways?

Kirkman: Yeah, I think it’s very important to recognize that the television show and the comic book series are two different things. I think that there are really cool, really memorable, really important moments from the comic book series that have existed over the life of it. There are some of those that I absolutely feel need to be adapted into the show in order for it to be a Walking Dead show, and there are other things that I think can be changed and should be changed. This is an adaptation, and keeping things fresh and lively and changing things up actually makes it better. I think that those diehard fans that are saying, “Oh, it’s not exactly like the comic. I want the exact same stuff,” I think they would be bored with the show if they had gotten their wish. I think it’s very important to add new material to this and make it as exciting as possible, just because the comic book is exciting and new. That’s one of its charms.

IGN: The first two seasons have a lot about Shane versus Rick and their differing styles of leadership. Now we’re going into this new season and Shane is out of the picture, but Rick has changed himself. At the place he is now, how does his style of leadership match or not match the Governor?

Mazzara: That’s a great question. I think Rick is initially a lot more honest than the Governor. I think the Governor is playing a game and a long con. He has an ultimate agenda that’s very important to him. Rick’s face is sort of pressed right up against the glass, and he has very immediate needs of keeping this group alive, finding a safe place, preparing a safe place where his wife can have a baby so that when the baby’s born, everyone’s safe -- they’re not out on the open road and the crying baby isn’t summoning walkers -- this is what he’s thinking about, the problems at hand. The Governor’s looking down the road a little bit more.

IGN: Some fans weren’t in love with Lori last season. Can you talk a bit about Rick and Lori and what their dynamic is like this season? Can they get past all that’s happened at this point?

Mazzara: That’s something that will unfold this season, their relationship. That’s something that’s important to them. I don’t think there’s been any time while they’re out on the road where they could push in and spend time with each other and work out their problems. That’s what she’s saying when we meet her in the season premiere. So I think Rick’s job is to find a safe place for her to have the baby. Then he’s probably thinking they can deal with this problem. But, you know, it’s business first. So Rick’s using life on the road, in a way, as an excuse to avoid repairing his marriage. They’re in conflict, and I think both actors have done a great job of really making you feel like you’re watching a marriage in distress in the middle of a zombie apocalypse. This year, I really think you’ll really feel sympathetic for both characters.

Kirkman: I think one cool element of this season that we’re going to be exploring throughout is the fact that these are two people that are a married couple, who may just need to take a break. They have come at an impasse in their marriage, they have both definitely done things that the other is not very happy about, but they can’t really do the things that we would do in this world -- step back, try and figure out if we want to stay with this person and what our relationship is actually built on. These people are forced to live together in order to survive. They’re basically on top of each other at all times and not able to deal with their issues. That’s something we’ll be dealing with a lot moving forward.

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Call of Duty: Black Ops Declassified -- Be Skeptical

IGN’s Mitch Dyer saw Call of Duty: Black Ops Declassified’s multiplayer at Gamescom and called it “disappointing.” Having finally had a chance to try it for myself, it makes me sad to say that those initial impressions mirror my own. It isn’t even bad or unlikable in its current, pre-release state, but a number of technical limitations make it feel far from the Call of Duty console-like experience on a handheld.

When it comes to Call of Duty controls are everything, and at this point Declassified’s feel a bit wanting. Firing and aiming down the iron sights logically uses the shoulder buttons, but because the Vita lacks secondary triggers, you have to rely on the touchscreen for melee strikes and throwing grenades. This becomes an issue within seconds, as using either grenades or melee attacks means you have to take your hands away off one of the sticks. Moreover, the far-right placement of the on-screen grenade buttons means that it isn’t uncommon to accidentally bump them when using the right analog stick. Because you can’t click the analog sticks this also means that sprinting is either turned on automatically by running forward (which takes some getting used to, and makes me feel a bit out of control), or by pressing down on the D-pad (which, again, requires me to take my thumb off the analog stick). The most basic act of shooting and aiming feels better on Vita than it has on any previous portable CoD game I’ve played, but the current control schemes, and the slower, 30 FPS, don’t quite capture the speed and intensity of the franchise in its entirety.

To try to make battles feel every bit as intense as the console games, Declassified shrinks the maps to a size that, in theory, makes sense for eight players. For instance Declassified’s Nuke House map is a take on Nuke Town, the ‘50s-looking replica town used for nuclear experimentation. Nuke Town is already a small map, but Nuke House narrows the playing field down to a single house and the surrounding yard and street. Even 2 vs. 2 matches feel cramped on this map, and spawning directly in front of the barrel of a waiting enemy became a regular occurrence. With so little room to breathe it didn’t feel like normal CoD, where teams have a chance to regroup and recuperate even if they’re getting beat down since they’ll end up spawning far enough away from the action to reassess and respond to the other team’s playstyle. It just feels a bit too chaotic, like no matter how skilled I am I’ll have to deal with people getting the drop on me simply because they spawned in one of the few places they can at the wrong moment.

Even if the controls and feel of Declassified need work, it nails the interface and presentation of Black Ops. While you won’t find the Pick 10 system from Black Ops 2 in Declassified, the Vita CoD retains many of the familiar perks, weapons and attachments, and creating and tweaking a loadout is instantly familiar. You can also level up and Prestige multiple times. Moreover, you can quickly search for a multiplayer match or start a party with your friends, making it so you never have to play with strangers if you don’t want to. The most inventive feature Declassified brings to the table, though, comes from the Vita’s Near functionality. Using Near, you can post a loadout you’ve made and associate it with a geographical area, letting other Declassified players who come to the area download and use it.

That attention to presentation, that desire Nihilistic has to nail the aesthetic and systems of Black Ops, makes me wonder how Nihilistic’s take on the campaign will end up. I only got to see a couple minutes of it in action, and the multiplayer doesn’t exactly instill me with confidence, but the pacing and set pieces looked like Call of Duty. Whether the same control and technical issues will rear their heads remains to be seen, but I dig the idea behind it: every level in Declassified should have a hook, some mechanic specific to the level so that when you think on it that’s the first thing you mention. Just like the way players think back on Modern Warfare and talk about the “sniper level,” or rave about the “AC-130 level,” the goal is to have each smaller campaign stage make a unique impression.

Unlike the other Black Ops games, Declassified doesn’t have a Zombies mode. Instead you get Hostiles, your typical “survive as many waves as you can” affair, and a series of campaign-inspired time trials you try to run through as fast as you can while shooting wooden targets (think the training level of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare). Nihilistic thinks both modes serve as great training tools to teach people the ropes of CoD on Vita, though the time trials mode is the most popular internally since it has leaderboards.

Playing Declassified ultimately left me feeling dissatisfied. The multiplayer has its moments, but when I’m fighting the controls or being shot in the back as I spawn it’s hard not to get frustrated. Hopefully Nihilistic pulls together an awesome campaign between now and Declassified’s release on November 13th. If you’ve been looking for a true “Call of Duty experience” on a handheld, this Vita take probably won’t be it, but with some work it could be a decent approximation.

Anthony Gallegos is an Editor on IGN's PC team. He enjoys scaring the crap out of himself with horror games and then releasing some steam in shooters like Blacklight and Tribes. You can follow him on Twitter and on IGN.

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Ben Affleck Turned Down Daredevil Reboot

Ben Affleck has revealed that he turned down the chance to reprise his role as blind superhero Daredevil in a franchise reboot.

Speaking to MTV, Affleck admitted that he had been approached to star in a new version of the much-maligned 2003 film, but couldn't see how it would make sense.

"They're rebooting it," he explained. "I got contacted about it, and I was like, 'That wouldn't be a reboot [if I was involved],' but I really hope they do a good job, because that's a great property and deserves something really, really good."

He didn't rule out donning spandex again in the future though, admitting, "I would love to do [a comic book movie] if it was the right one, if I thought I could do it well. I think you have to, with any movie, have an idea for it that's original and unique and committed to it, and that's a hard thing to find."

The current status of the Daredevil reboot is pretty murky. While Joe Carnahan was originally down to direct the project for Fox, there's a major hurdle to overcome in the shape of the film's rights returning to Marvel as of October 10. Whether the company will decide to pursue its own reboot once the property returns to its stables remains to be seen.

Affleck also revealed that he definitely won't be directing the forthcoming Justice League of America movie, saying of his wrongly rumoured involvement "I guess I should be flattered, and I'm sure it will be cool. I've seen some of the stuff from the new Superman movie, and that stuff is awesome."

Luke Karmali is IGN's UK Editorial Assistant. You too can revel in mediocrity by following him on IGN and on Twitter.

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Get Ready for the Ultimate IGN UK Pub Quiz!

Like the idea of trading the encyclopaedic games and movie knowledge stored in your brain for money-can’t-buy prizes? Then say hello to the IGN UK Pub Quiz, your chance to prove you really are the country’s fount of entertainment knowledge!

For the next IGN UK Pub Quiz – taking place on October 11, starting at 6.30pm – we’re planning something rather special as we’re bringing it to the London Games Festival for the first time, in aid of the video games charity SpecialEffect, helping people with disabilities enjoy video games. It’ll be the toughest quiz we’ve put together yet – if you don’t know the name of James Pond’s nemesis then chances are you might struggle – but as a reward we’ll be giving away the sweetest swag you can lay your hands on.

That’s not all. Once the victorious team has been crowned GamerDisco will be taking control of the decks to ensure the celebrations continue long into the night.

If you want to get involved then you need to put together a team of six people, at a cost of £30 per team. Remember, all proceeds are going straight to SpecialEffect so it really is for a good cause, and every penny does make a difference.

You’ll need to be fast though – we’re expecting demand to be high and there’s only space for nine team, so head on over to the IGN SpecialEffect registration page and guarantee your space now!

Find out more about the amazing work SpecialEffect is doing but checking out the website.

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Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 -- Everything We Know About Zombies

After months of speculating, the veil has finally been lifted on Call of Duty: Black Ops 2's Zombie gameplay. While we still haven't gotten a chance to try it, a recent visit to Treyarch resulted in a glut of information about the evolution of the mode, and what fans can expect on November 13th. What started as something simple and silly, a treat for those who beat Call of Duty: World at War, is being developed into the biggest, most fully-featured Zombies game yet.

See the new zombies trailer right here.

The biggest change to Call of Duty: Black Ops 2's Zombie gameplay comes in the form of its campaign mode. Titled Tranzit, this tosses you and up to three of your friends into the biggest world the team at Treyarch has ever created for Zombies. Your goal in Tranzit is simple: kill all the undead that you come across and leave a trail of bodies in your wake. You and your team jump between a number of locales along the way, doing what appears to be defensive stands and clearing them out before moving on to the next place. However, getting from place to place isn't a simple loading screen, but instead requires you to get there by foot or by bus. It's unclear whether or not you'll be able to steer the bus, but the first trailer makes it pretty clear you'll be defending yourself and perhaps even building barricades in order to survive the journey between survival spots.

You'll also have plenty to look out for while you're battling in the zombie-infested wasteland, as Tranzit now includes "buildables," something Treyarch describes as elements you can put together to do things like open up new parts of the world or make weapons. As for how the campaign ends? That's anyone's guess. Treyarch is playing whatever story it's inserting into Tranzit close to its chest, which fits with its strategy of letting the fans parse together the narrative through message boards and other online communities.

If Tranzit doesn't sound like your thing, if you're the type of person that just wants to hop in with friends and defend a single position, you'll be pleased to hear that Survival mode is returning with Black Ops 2. Playable either solo or with three friends, Survival offers the classic survival experience wherein you build defenses and hold out. The nitty-gritty details haven't been discussed, but the environments you play in are apparently custom-made takes on locations from the Tranzit campaign.

Cooperative play isn't for everyone, and while Black Ops 2 will feature a competitive multiplayer mode as well, Treyarch's also developing a new take on competitive play for Zombies called Grief. Internally the team at Treyarch likes to refer to Grief as "4z4," because unlike traditional competitive games both sides have to deal with a third party that wants their brains -- the Zombies. In Grief, your only goal is to have your team outlive the other, but, unlike every other Call of Duty mode you've ever played, you can't shoot other players. Instead you have to "grief" them and get the zombies to do the work for you. Treyarch's being disappointingly mum in regards to how "griefing" actually works, so for now we're left to speculate about how we'll be attempting to kill our friends come November.

If there's a rule or any other part of Zombies' three modes that you don't like, Treyarch wants you to tweak them and create your own using the Custom games feature -- a first for Zombies. You can live out your hardcore zombie fantasy and make it so only headshots kill, turn off magic items and set your starting round.

 

Previously, the Zombie portion of Treyarch's Call of Duty games felt like a distraction, a way to break up the multi-hour sessions with the competitive multiplayer. Black Ops 2 aims to change it into something on par with the multiplayer and campaign. This isn't just a mode, it's a series of modes buried within a game, a testament to Treyarch's dedication to the fans. Without their input and devotion, Zombies wouldn't exist as it does today.

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AU: Win a James Bond 50th Anniversary Prize-Pack

To celebrate the release of  Bond 50: The Complete Blu-ray Collection (out now), IGN Australia are giving ten IGN readers the chance to win Bond 50: The Complete Blu-ray Collection, Bond 007 Legends on Xbox or PlayStation 3, a Bond 50th Anniversary limited edition t-shirt, a Bond 50th Anniversary key-ring, a Bond 50th mini poster book and a Bond 50th Anniversary postcard book.

For your chance to win, simply like us on our Facebook page, find the Bond 50: The Complete Blu-ray Collection Prizes picture on our wall (or click here), and post a hilarious caption in the comments section in 50 words or less.

The wittiest entries – judged, as always, by IGN AU's editorial staff - will win a prize-pack, with ten in total up for grabs.

The prize-pack consists of:

• BOND 50 BLU-RAY COLLECTION ($199.95)
• BOND 007 LEGENDS ON XBOX OR PS3 ($69.95)
• BOND 50TH ANNIVERSARY LIMITED EDITION T-SHIRT ($44.95)
• BOND 50TH ANNIVERSARY KEYRING ($19.95)
• BOND 50TH ANNIVERSARY MINI-POSTER BOOK ($24.95)
• BOND 50TH ANNIVERSARY POSTCARD BOOK ($14.95)

TOTAL PRIZE PACK VALUE $374.70

Entrants must be over 15 and residents of Australia.

Bond 50: The Complete Blu-ray Collection – all 22 Bond films available together for the first time on high-definition Blu-ray. Includes all-new bonus disc and over 120 hours of extras. Out now.

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Nintendo Announces Wii U Showcase Tour

Nintendo has announced it'll be touring the Wii U around the UK to give gamers a chance to get hands-on with the title.

The tour will kick off on September 27 and visit a range of shopping centres, gaming expos and events across the UK before drawing to a close on January 6.

With the console due to launch in the UK on November 30, there's plenty of time for you to try out the console and decide whether it's what you're looking for. A range of titles will be available to try, including New Super Mario Bros. U, Nintendo Land and ZombiU.

Alongside this, there'll also be the chance to win prizes and try out upcoming Nintendo 3DS XL titles before they launch, including the latest Pokémon and Mario adventures.

The full list of tour dates is below:

• Eurogamer Expo, London: 27 – 30 September
• Braehead shopping centre, Glasgow: 11 – 14 October
• Play Expo, Manchester: 13 – 14
• Westfield, Derby: 18 – 21 October
• MCM Expo, London: 26 – 28 October
• Highcross Shopping Centre, Leicester: 1 – 4 November
• The Bullring, Birmingham: 8 – 11 November
• Westfield Stratford City, London: 15 – 18 November
• Metro Centre, Newcastle: 22 – 25 November
• Gadget Show Christmas, London: 30 November – 2 December
• Westfield, London: 6 – 9 December
• Centre: MK, Milton Keynes: 13 – 16 December
• Arndale centre, Manchester: 3 – 6 January

Luke Karmali is IGN's UK Editorial Assistant. You too can revel in mediocrity by following him on IGN and on Twitter.

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