Season nine of The Walking Dead is meant to be sort of a “moving onto the next chapter” as we are introduced to a new civilization. We knew things would be shaking up in a big way with all the hints we were given leading up to the premiere. One big change has happened that leaves us fans excited and even nostalgic. For so long we had become familiar with the opening credits sequence and now, it looks completely different.

Showrunner Angela Kang is proud to present the series in a different take. She says, “I had very long conversations with title designers about the themes we’re playing with. The feel of the season has elements of the Western genre. We’re paying homage to some of the iconic moments from the graphic novel. Life is coming out of death. Nature’s taking over, while other things are crumbling.”

Kang had promised that the show will return to its old theme found in seasons four and five. The opening was another way of playing with the ideas of creating a familiar concept. “It had such a strong design element that really stood out to me,” she says. “The way they were pitching using this monochromatic palette but with flashes of color really felt true to the roots of this show.”

The idea of a change in the opening credits was given to her by Chief Content Officer, Scott Gimple who felt the show needed an outright way of saying “we’re back and better than ever.” Throughout the sequence, the designers and Kang wanted it to feel satisfying for the hardcore fans. “We had fun burying the iconic objects from the show into the titles,” she says. “Some of them, we made very obvious. Others? They’re more like Easter eggs for people to go around looking for. That’s part of what’s fun for me when I watch this type of show: looking for the hidden clues in things. We felt it was a nice microcosm of what some of the fun of the show is for people. There’s what’s there on the surface, and then there’s what you’ll find if you dig around in the dark corners.”

You can find the video on The Hollywood Reporter‘s site.

With a new showrunner, new opening credits sequence, and a fresh start, tune in Sunday to watch everything unfold.

Photo credit for Raymond Flotat.