'The Walking Dead' air date, news & update: Zombie drama renewed for Season 8 on AMC; Season 7 premiere title & plot details released

By Shane Olga Ocampo / Oct 17, 2016 05:12 AM EDT
(Photo : Getty Images/Kevin Mazur) The cast of AMC's 'The Walking Dead' onstage during AMC's 'The Walking Dead' season 6 fan premiere event at Madison Square Garden on October 9, 2015 in New York City.

"The Walking Dead" will be back with new episodes in 2017.

AMC has officially renewed "The Walking Dead" for Season 8, Deadline has learned. The early season pickup comes one week ahead of the zombie drama's Season 7 premiere this weekend. The cable network also announced that its aftershow companion, "Talking Dead" hosted by Chris Hardwick will also return for a new season as well.

""Eeny, meeny, miny, more," AMC boss Charlie Collier said in a statement.

"What a joy to partner with Robert Kirkman, Scott Gimple and some of the hardest-working people in television to bring The Walking Dead to the fans. And, most important, thanks to those fans for breathing life into this remarkable series right along with us."

While it is still unofficial, "The Walking Dead" Season 8 is being eyed to premiere in October next year. The new season, composing of 16 episodes, will include the show's 100th milestone hour. Details on beginning of production and cast additions are expected to be announced on a later date.

Meanwhile, the synopsis for the hotly-anticipated Season 7 premiere titled "The Day Will Come When You Won't Be" has been released online. According to Zap2it, the season opener will see "the members of the group remain helpless, while Negan takes action that will forever haunt those who survive."

"The Walking Dead" stars Andrew Lincoln, Steven Yeun, Norman Reedus, Chandler Riggs, Lauren Cohan, Danai Gurira, Melissa McBride, Sonequa-Martin Green and Lennie James. Season 7 kicks off on Sunday, Oct. 23 at 9PM on AMC.