Today, AMC released the brand new opening credit sequence for Season 9 of The Walking Dead. This opener is definitely different from the seasons that have come before it, opting for a sort of motion-comic feel over stylistic shots of the top-watched drama's cast of characters. It's worthy of watching a few times, as you'll get to do during the upcoming season of the AMC series, but it's also worth pausing to take in the many hints and teases scattered throughout. Fans of Robert Kirkman's graphic novel series will likely find some clever inclusions that should bring a smile to your face.

Regarding the stunning opener, executive producer and showrunner Angela Kang commented: “The opening credit sequence is indicative of the new look and feel to the world this season and we wanted to give a nod to the show's graphic novel origins. As we jump into a new chapter of the story, we wanted to present something fun and fresh for our viewers to reflect the changing landscape, where nature will be playing a bigger role. While our survivors work to rebuild and adjust to the crumbling infrastructure, the threat of the dead is constantly looming. And true to the spirit of our show, there are Easter Eggs for the fans to find if they're looking close!”

The highly-anticipated new season of The Walking Dead premieres this Sunday, October 7 at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT on AMC. Check out the new opening credits below:

 

Last season brought the culmination of “All Out War,” which pitted Rick Grimes and his group of survivors against the Saviors and their cunning leader, Negan. With Negan’s life in his hands, Rick had a character-defining choice in front of him. By making the unilateral decision to spare Negan, Rick upheld the values his late son, Carl, championed in order to build for the future, but created conflict within his group.

Now, we see our survivors a year and a half after the end of the war, rebuilding civilization under Rick’s steadfast leadership. It is a time of relative peace among the communities as they work together, looking to the past to forge the future, but the world they knew is rapidly changing as man-made structures continue to degrade, and nature takes over, changing the landscape and creating new challenges for our survivors.

As time passes, the communities confront unexpected obstacles, danger, and of course, walkers, but nothing quite prepares them for the formidable force they are about to encounter, which threatens the very idea of civilization that our survivors have worked so hard to build.

Based on the comic book series written by Robert Kirkman and published by Image Comics, “The Walking Dead” reigns the number one drama on television among adults 18-49 for the last six seasons. The series is executive produced by chief content officer Scott M. Gimple, showrunner Angela Kang, Robert Kirkman, Gale Anne Hurd, David Alpert, Greg Nicotero, Tom Luse and Denise Huth.

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Image via AMC