The Walking Dead has been teasing an upcoming crossover between its original series and spinoff, Fear The Walking Dead, since October when Robert Kirkman made the announcement at New York Comic-Con. Now, the big event is almost here, and AMC and Fathom Events have planned an “epic night.” The two companies have put together “Survival Sunday,” an event where fans can watch both The Walking Dead season 8 finale and the Fear the Walking Dead crossover episode on the big screen.
“Survival Sunday” will take place on April 15, and more than 750 theaters around the United States will screen the episodes, Deadline reports. The season 8 finale will be screened at 8:30 p.m. ET (5:30 p.m. PT), followed by the crossover, which is Fear the Walking Dead‘s season 4 premiere. Not only will attendees get to enjoy the special viewing experiences, they’ll be rewarded with exclusive bonus content. Tickets go on sale March 16 on the Fathom Events website.
The crossover will bring Morgan Jones (Lennie James) from the world of The Walking Dead to that of Fear the Walking Dead. We first learned of his involvement in the crossover in late November, when Talking Dead broke the news. There had been speculation that it might be Abraham Ford (Michael Cudlitz), who was killed off in The Walking Dead and hailed from Texas, to make the transition.
James shared a welcome video from the set of Fear the Walking Dead shortly after the November reveal, happily noting that, with the secret out, he could finally leave his hotel room and explore the great city of Austin, Texas. He also took time to thank all of the fans who supported his character through the series.
Photos from James’ first day were also released, including one during a table read, alongside Colman Domingo (Victor Strand), Frank Dillane (Nick Clark), and Alycia Debnam-Carey (Alicia Clark).
The crossover character reveal posed some interesting questions. Morgan was still alive on The Walking Dead as of the last episode before news broke, which aired on Sunday, November 26; however, his words as he appeared on Talking Dead via satellite suggested that his character had reached his end. Meanwhile, showrunner Scott M. Gimple provided an ambiguous statement for host Chris Hardwick to read.
“Even though Morgan is going to be featured on Fear, he has a lot of story left on The Walking Dead,” the statement said, adding that his Walking Dead season 8 arc “positioned him for the story on Fear.”
Fear The Walking Dead takes place as a prequel, along the same timeline as The Walking Dead. The events would be happening around the same time as some of the early seasons of The Walking Dead. Fans will recall that Morgan disappeared for several seasons of that show, returning twice. The first time, he had gone insane following the death of his son, killing anything and anyone who crossed his path. The second time, he crossed paths again with Rick, now refusing to kill after spending time with a peaceful man who taught him Aikido and gave him his signature wooden staff.
There are holes concerning where Morgan was between these points. Thus, either Fear the Walking Dead fills these holes, suggesting that Morgan at some point made his way to Mexico, California, or Texas, or the series flashes forward a few years, and we see Morgan in the present day, after he possibly leaves Rick Grimes and company.
For fans who don’t attend “Survival Sunday,” the Walking Dead season 8 finale and the crossover episode air April 15 on AMC.
Updated on March 15: Added information about the “Survival Sunday” event.
