'The Walking Dead' season 8 release date, plot rumors: Showrunner teases the next season will 'melt people's minds and break their televisions'

"The Walking Dead" returns for its eighth season this fall.Facebook/thewalkingdeadAMC

"The Walking Dead" season 7 ended with Alexandria, the Kingdom, and the Hilltop declaring war against Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) and the Saviors, as well as with Sasha (Sonequa Martin-Green) taking poison as she would rather be a walker than be used as a pawn by Negan, who previously captured her after she went on a solo mission to kill him. Now that the another season has gone, fans are getting excited for the next one.

As with the plot, "The Walking Dead" season 8 is said to adapt the "All-Out War" arc from the original comics by Robert Kirkman. Showrunner Scott M. Gimple reportedly revealed during "Talking Dead" that it will be "bigger" and "more intense." According to him, the first four episodes of the next season will "melt people's minds and break their televisions."

As reported on Express UK, Negan plays a vital part in the "All-Out War" storyline. At the end of the story, Rick (Andrew Lincoln) slashes his throat and threatens the Saviors that they can either continue fighting or leave. However, Negan does not die and ends up as a prisoner, who later becomes Rick's ally in battling The Whisperers. This new threat is a group of people dressed in zombie skins, whose aim is to kill the living and protect the undead.

The show will return in October, as with the previous seasons, but the official premiere date for "The Walking Dead" season 8 is said to be announced at the San Diego Comic-Con, which takes place on July 20–23.

In other news, despite the explosive and heart-stopping season finale, AMC's "The Walking Dead" season 7 reportedly had the lowest-rated season finale in years. According to Movie Pilot, Gimple revealed last month that he intends for the show to go on for 20 years. However, with how the latest season finale turned out in terms of viewership, the plan now looks questionable.