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Newest Walking Dead Series Shows Virginia Has Something for Everyone – Even Walkers!

 Newest Walking Dead Series Shows Virginia Has Something for Everyone – Even Walkers!

RICHMOND - Sunday, 4 October 2020 witnessed the U.S. premiere of the newest series in AMC's ever popular Walking Dead franchise, The Walking Dead: World Beyond. The new series filmed throughout Central Virginia in 2019 and features numerous recognizable locations around the Commonwealth, including scenes in the state's capital of Richmond. 

The two-season limited series follows in the footsteps of The Walking Dead, and the current offshoot series Fear the Walking Dead, which both rank among the most-watched cable series on television. World Beyond features two young female protagonists and focuses on the first generation to come-of-age in the franchise's apocalyptic realm. 

Virginia residents and lovers of Virginia will recognize filming locations like Virginia Commonwealth University, Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, the Richmond Coliseum and Hadad's Lake. Nearby Shirley, Battersea and Berkeley Plantations also saw action, as did Downtown Petersburg and Powhatan State Park – all spots tourists can easily visit during a trip to Virginia. Several of the same sites were also locations for past productions, such as the award-winning Lincoln or the recent Harriet. Virginia offers a wealth of film locations to discover

Members of the cast and crew of World Beyond spent three weeks alone in downtown Hopewell filming a critical scene involving a plane crash and upside-down cars, literally taking over the whole town for the shoot. At one point there were more than 100 extras on site. 

As with most filming that takes place on location, the cast and crew always seem to find a few favorite haunts and this group was no exception. Local hangouts Longoven, Wong Gonzalez and Rappahannock Oysters became stated favs of cast members. In Hopewell, Guncotton Coffee was open for 60 hours straight during an overnight filming. Guncotton even started putting “zombie themed” items on the menu including a drink called the Red-Eyed Zombie and Zombie Avocado Toast. Read more about the cast and crews' time in Virginia here, courtesy of the Richmond Times-Dispatch

Filming of the spinoff is estimated to have generated more than $48 million in direct spending creating hundreds of jobs and benefitting more than 350 small businesses in Virginia. While some of the cast and crews' local favorites are currently closed due to the pandemic, we hope they'll be open for business again soon. 

A list of filming locations and more details on the show can be found here. For insider information on the series filming and details on the film industry in Virginia, interviews can be arranged with the Director of the Virginia Film Office, Andy Edmunds. During his time with the film office, Edmunds has worked with some of the most notable filmmakers of our time including Terrence Malick, Ridley Scott, Clint Eastwood and Steven Spielberg. 

The Virginia Film Office is part of the Virginia Tourism Corporation, the state agency charged with marketing the state of Virginia. Tourism is an instant revenue generator in Virginia. In 2018, visitors to Virginia spent $26 billion, which supported 235,000 work opportunities and contributed $1.8 billion in state and local taxes.