Carl's death in The Walking Dead may have happened a few weeks ago now, but we're not over it, you're not over it, the cast aren't over it, and the creator... actually he's pretty over it.

His exit is shocking for multitude of reasons: he's still alive in the comics and he just seemed like a character that was so important and had more to give that he couldn't be written out.

Now it seems like anyone is fair game, or as Jesus actor Tom Payne puts it: "It throws a hand grenade into the show."

Carl Grimes, Rick Grimes, The Walking Dead, Season 8, episode 8pinterest
Gene Page//AMC

Speaking to Digital Spy and other media outlets, the star said: "You can predict certain things from the comic books and certain things have happened and played out, but [Carl's death] really does change everything up. For everyone.

"We all kind of had an idea of where the show might go. I definitely said in the past that Carl or Chandler [Riggs, his actor] was the future of the show, and that made absolute sense.

"It's a big change," he continued. "Always on the show when people leave, the group dynamic changes just naturally on-screen and off-screen.

What to Read Next

"And not to have a young voice who's been there since the very beginning was kind of weird."

'The Walking Dead': Jesuspinterest
Gene Page/AMC

Related: 5 heartbreaking details you missed on The Walking Dead season 8 premiere

Payne, alongside fellow cast members and interviewees Austin Amelio (Dwight) and Ross Marquand (Aaron) all said that every cast member is now constantly on their toes.

"If Carl dies, then anyone's fair game," Tom added. "We all definitely thought that he was never going to die."

Eagle-eyed viewers managed to transcribe most of Carl's letter to big bad guy Negan, and you can read that right here.

The Walking Dead continues this Sunday (March 11) on AMC in the US and Monday (March 12) on Fox in the UK.


Want up-to-the-minute entertainment news and features? Just hit 'Like' on our Digital Spy Facebook page and 'Follow' on our @digitalspy Twitter account and you're all set.

Headshot of Joe Anderton

Joe Anderton is a freelance news writer at Digital Spy, having worked there since 2016. In his time, he's covered a host of live events and interviewed celebrities big and small. A big fan of TV and movies both mainstream and obscure, Joe also enjoys video games and in particular PlayStation. Joe currently does not use Twitter, but he only ever used it to tell people to watch the film Help! I'm a Fish.