'The Walking Dead': Norman Reedus discusses show return, says planet will 'explode

You won’t have to wait long to see Norman Reedus back on AMC as his new unscripted motorcycle series, Ride with Norman Reedus, debuts June 12 on the network, but you will have to wait another four-and-a-half months to see if Daryl Dixon survived that season 6 cliffhanger of The Walking Dead.

How often has the actor been asked who died since the season finale aired?

“Probably about a zillion times,” Reedus said when he stopped by Entertainment Weekly Radio (SiriusXM, channel 105) Thursday morning. “Like, all the time.” But he also says if he were in that position of wondering, he would not want to know the answer. “I don’t like spoilers, to be honest, I don’t want people to tell me the ending to the movie when we sit down in a movie theater. I don’t like them, so I don’t do them. I like the enthusiasm behind everyone wanting to know, but it’s a good feeling to have that enthusiasm, so let’s hold onto it.”

But was Reedus surprised by the fan outrage that exploded online after the identity of Negan and Lucille’s victim was kept a mystery? “They’re still talking about it,” he notes. “I’ve been making art for a long time and you want people to talk. Sometimes you make something just to get people to talk. The fact that people are still talking is a huge compliment to how that episode was executed and the acting in it and the writing of it. That’s a good thing. Talk sometimes its good. I know we all have phones and everything is instant gratification now. I get it. I like that too. I like the controversy, to be honest. For that many people to be that invested in that show and freaking out, I think it’s great.”

Of course, Reedus is not getting nearly as much flak as exec-producer Scott M. Gimple and Robert Kirkman. “Those poor guys,” laughs Reedus. “That’s another level of ‘What the f—?’ Those guys get hammered. Me, I can be like, ‘Oh, it’s great!’ I can kinda get away with it because I don’t write it and I don’t know everything that is going to happen, but those poor guys. They bust their ass to give you this entertainment and pour their hearts on the line and then they just get ‘What the f—, Scott Gimple? How could you do this to me!’”

Gimple and Kirkman have both stated they know that by making fans wait half a year, they have to earn it with a satisfying conclusion when the show returns in October. And having been back on set for season 7, Reedus promises that they will. “They’re earning it,” says Reedus. “Trust me. I think probably the planet is going to explode. That’s my feeling. It’s so good. Every time we go on a promotional tour talking about what’s going to come, we all say ‘Oh my God, it’s amazing. I can’t wait for you to see it.’ But it continually surprises me how this show grows and is put together and the execution of it — no pun intended. It blows my mind. It just continually reaches a new plateau every single time, and this is the highest plateau we’ve ever been. So just wait. It’s worth the wait, trust me.”

You can hear the entire interview — including a lot more on Ride with Norman Reedus — Tuesday morning on EW Morning Live.