The Walking Dead Season 5 Spoilers: Scott Gimple Explains Comic Book's Influence on Show

The Season 5 premiere of The Walking Dead airs Sunday night, which means fans will get to see how Rick and his crew clash with the residents of Terminus. Many fans have assumed these people are the cannibals from the comic book, but will they be presented exactly as Robert Kirkman portrayed them in the source material?

Not likely, as the show has diverged from the series at key points. In an interview with EW.com, showrunner Scott Gimple reveals how the comic book affects the show.

"I enjoyed last season, I enjoyed working on it, and I was happy with how it all turned out, and it was basically the philosophy where I decided I was gonna follow it again. I mean, frankly, there's just so much stuff in the books that I'm excited about getting to, just big moments. I'm just very, very desperate to get to certain moments like this, because I can't wait to see them shot or come to life. That said, though, the butterfly effect is in full effect, and thus we have to have some level of invention with the stories as well. Last season, Terminus wasn't in the books. There was some invention there, but it was taken from the books, the novels, and there's stuff like that this year. And then there's some stuff that is way, way back that we missed, that we didn't get to. Maybe not the most giant things from the comics, but people will recognize them. There's one that I was always bummed we never got to, that was just a perfect story moment for a story that was just completely different than how it appeared in the comic books. But basically, I'm going through the files of Robert Kirkman and I'm not leaving one behind."

The site asked Gimple about the Alexandria safe zone, which is the next major location for the characters in the comics. Could we see Alexandria in Season 5?

"It is entirely possible," Gimple said. "You know I wouldn't say one way or the other. But I will say, that's a very big point in the book. You know, I don't think anyone who reads the comics will be surprised that we eventually get there. But whether it's this season or not... I shan't confirm anything, but it's possible, I suppose. But I will say that one of the things that is a constant aspect of the show is that there are these new story parts that are inspired by the comics and the novels, and those work up to be pretty big things, and change the timeline a bit, send our characters in other directions that might help them to get to the emotional places that they were in the comic books when they reach certain storylines."

What do you think of Gimple's remarks? Let us know in the comments section.