The Walking Dead season five finale 'already nailed'

Robert Kirkman drops some hints on what to expect from the next run

Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes in The Walking Dead

Creators of The Walking Dead have “already nailed down” the season five finale, despite the last season ending just two weeks ago.

Robert Kirkman, executive producer, shared some new details about the zombie apocalypse show’s progression during an interview with MTV last week.

The team have decided on the “overall arc of the season”, with Kirkman’s second episode script submitted. “We’re pretty much halfway through the fifth season, script wise,” he said.

Kirkman also dropped some hints about the introduction of infamous villain Negan from the 100th issue of the comic books.

“As far as Negan casting goes, Scott (Gimple, the showrunner) and I are always talking about who we would put in that. It’s definitely on our minds and there are a lot of candidates,” he said.

“I wouldn’t expect Negan too terribly soon, although he is definitely in the plan. It’s a 99 per cent lock that he’s going to be in the show eventually, so be on the lookout for that.”

Fans can also get excited about the recently announced Walking Dead spin-off, but Kirkman is keeping relatively hush about its development.

“I’m actively working with Dave Erickson on that and we know when our proposed release date is although I can’t tell you that, obviously,” he said. “We’re working towards that show and it’s going to be awesome.”

Shooting for The Walking Dead's fifth season is scheduled to begin in May, before airing on US network AMC in October.