'The Walking Dead' Season 9 Officially Ordered By AMC

Before their Television Critics Association winter tour panel takes place this afternoon, AMC couldn't help but announce that they had renewed The Walking Dead for a ninth season.

The Walking Dead season 9 will debut sometime late in 2018, and the show's showrunner, Scott M. Gimple has been promoted to Chief Content Officer, which will allow him to over see all facets of The Walking Dead universe, including Fear the Walking Dead and any other "potential brand extensions on a variety of platforms." Replacing Gimple as showrunner will be Angela King, who has been writing on the show since 2011 and co-executive producing since 2013.

Read the full announcement from AMC below.

During AMC's panel, network President Charlie Collier introduced AMC's new Head of Programming, David Madden, who indicated a desire to pursue more shows along the lines of The Walking Dead.

"We would be silly not to pursue new genre shows that would appeal to that audience," Madden said. "We're internally calling [these shows] 'prestige popcorn,' thoughtful genre shows that are immersive and fan focused. Walking Dead isn't just about spurting brains, but it's also about deep relationship and big emotional feelings. We already have a few shows that fall into this category like Fear The Walking Dead, Into the Badlands and Preacher."

Here's the entire press release from AMC:

NEW YORK, NY – January 13, 2018 – AMC today made a number of announcements related to "The Walking Dead," the highest-rated cable series in history and the #1 show on television for the last six seasons and counting.  The series is being renewed for a ninth season, to premiere in late 2018; current showrunner Scott M. Gimple is being elevated to Chief Content Officer, overseeing the entire "Dead" television universe, including "The Walking Dead," "Fear the Walking Dead," and potential brand extensions on a variety of platforms; and Angela Kang, who has been a writer on the show since 2011 and co-executive producer since 2013, is being promoted by Gimple to executive producer and showrunner of "The Walking Dead," starting with season nine.

"This is an enormously important day for the entire 'The Walking Dead' television universe. We are proud to acknowledge Angela's significant contribution to the series and to set a clear path forward for a ninth season under her direction.  Further, with gratitude and admiration, we also recognize Scott's broad impact on, and leadership of, the content that fuels our TWD universe. Together, we will dream bigger and more broadly than ever before," said Charlie Collier, president of AMC, SundanceTV and AMC Studios.  "I know I speak for Angela, Scott and everyone at AMC when I say thanks most of all to the fans and the many talented people who have helped AMC play 'Dead.'"

"'The Walking Dead' is a special show which started in an entirely different era of TV, and continues, in this new era, to confidently take chances to tell compelling stories that excite audiences and make them deeply connect with its characters, adapting Robert Kirkman's brilliant comic book," Gimple said. "As the show closes in on its tenth year, I'm honored to keep working with the talented, dedicated people behind and in front of the camera to make it all it can be, while expanding the world of 'The Walking Dead' with new narratives like 'Fear the Walking Dead' and a whole host of truly cool stories ahead. Angela is a big part of the heart and soul of 'The Walking Dead,' and I'm thrilled to help facilitate her vision of the show's next era."

"I am beyond thrilled to be stepping into this new role with 'The Walking Dead.' Working on this series and having the opportunity to adapt Robert Kirkman's amazing comic has been a fangirl dream come true for me," said Kang. "I'm excited to continue working with Scott and the wonderfully supportive folks at AMC, and can't wait to share the next chapter of the story with our fans next fall."

Produced by AMC Studios, "The Walking Dead" remains the #1 show on television among adults 18-49.  "Fear the Walking Dead" is the #1 cable premiere of all-time and is currently in production on its fourth season, to premiere early this year with a new creative team, several new cast members and – for the first time – Lennie James (Morgan Jones) as a crossover character between the two series. "The Walking Dead" content is featured on AMC's AMC Premiere commercial-free upgrade option and a recently launched virtual reality app, to name just a few. In partnership with Next Games, AMC has launched a successful mobile game "The Walking Dead: No Man's Land" and a new location-based augmented reality game, "The Walking Dead: Our World" set to launch globally early this year.