In some unsurprising news, 'The Walking Dead' has been renewed for a ninth season at AMC. Though it's something the majority of viewers expected, there are some big changes happening behind-the-scenes that nobody predicted, with current showrunner Scott Gimple moving from his role on the series to the new one of Chief Content Officer for the 'Walking Dead' franchise. This includes spin-off show 'Fear The Walking Dead' and any other extensions of the series that may happen in the future.

Ross Marquand stars as Aaron in 'The Walking Dead'Ross Marquand stars as Aaron in 'The Walking Dead'

That means there's a position for a new showrunner during the ninth season, and that's something writer Angela Kang will be stepping into. As a writer on the show since 2011, Kang picked up a co-executive producer role in 2013, and again now expands on her work for the series. 

Speaking about the promotion in a statement, Kang said: "I am beyond thrilled to be stepping into this new role with ‘The Walking Dead.’ Working on this series and having the opportunity to adapt Robert Kirkman’s amazing comic has been a fangirl dream come true for me. I’m excited to continue working with Scott and the wonderfully supportive folks at AMC, and can’t wait to share the next chapter of the story with our fans next fall."

Gimple said that he was "honoured to keep working with the talented, dedicated people behind and in front of the camera" in his new position, whilst also being able to continue "expanding the world of 'The Walking Dead' with new narratives".

AMC President Charlie Collier added: "We are proud to acknowledge Angela’s significant contribution to the series and to set a clear path forward for a ninth season under her direction."

'The Walking Dead' has recently gone through some major story changes, with Carl Grimes (Chandler Riggs) revealing in the season 8 midseason finale that he had a zombie bite to the abdomen. Show bosses quickly confirmed that this did signal the near end of his time on the show, as there would be no possible way to save him.

Straying from the Robert Kirkman-created comic books on this move was just the latest in a series of deviances from the original story made by those responsible for the story on the small screen. Whilst those changes are often met with a vocal portion of the fan base revolting, they do seem to push narrative forward in a way that really elevates the show to another level each and every time. Hopefully, with all of these behind-the-scenes staff changes, that can continue to happen.

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'The Walking Dead' season 8 returns to AMC in the US on February 25, and to FOX in the UK on February 26.