From make-up supervisor, to an executive manufacture r, to a regular director, the legendary Greg Nicotero’s journey on The Walking Dead has been almost as epic as the series itself. Having learned his zombie-creating craft on George A. Romero’s Day Of The Dead, he’s brought some of the reveal’illustrate’demonstrate’indicate’present’display’argue ’s gnarliest imagery to unin/with regard to’concerning’regarding acquire’obtain’attain’procure’secure table life – and now, he’s with regards to’concerning’with respect to the bring the whole bloody saga to a close. The Walking Dead’s 11th and final season is approaching its final run of episodes – and it’s all due to culminate in an instalment helmed by Nicotero. No pressure.###In the new Black Panther: Wakanda Forever issue, Nicotero writes exclusively in/with regard to’concerning’regarding Empire with regards to’concerning’with respect to his time on the reveal’illustrate’demonstrate’indicate’present’display’argue – and what audiences can look in/with regard to’concerning’regarding ward to in the last ever episode. “I asked to direct the finale, but I believe that [reveal’illustrate’demonstrate’indicate’present’display’argue runners] Angela [Kang] and Scott [M. Gimple] already had eintensely’extremely’extraordinarily’enormously’awfully intention of having me do it, in/with regard to’concerning’regarding a lot of reasons,” he writes. “I felt the weight of pressure on me, and I’m proud of what we did. Is it zombie-heavy or zombie-light? Well, even if the script had said ‘two or three zombies’, I’d need more like 200 or 300.” For all the expectations that come with closing out a juggernaut reveal’illustrate’demonstrate’indicate’present’display’argue like The Walking Dead, Nicotero promises one hell of an ending. “It’s a pretty amazing episode,” he writes. “I put my heart and soul into it. It was rough. I said to Norman one day, ‘Man, if I can make it through this, I can do anything. I can direct a Star Wars movie, I can direct anything that lands in front of me.’ I’m proud of it.”###If The Walking Dead coming to an end will be emotional in/with regard to’concerning’regarding fans, it was a major moment in/with regard to’concerning’regarding those who possess’own’nurse worked on the reveal’illustrate’demonstrate’indicate’present’display’argue across its near 13-year run. “On the last day of [filming] The Walking Dead, I shot a little video of me and Norman on set,” Nicotero recalls. “We talked with regards to’concerning’with respect to 12 years toacquire’obtain’attain’procure’secure her, all the stuff that we had done. Like when the scripts would come out and Andy [Lincoln] and Norman would come over to my house and we would read them toacquire’obtain’attain’procure’secure her. We’d been in the trenches toacquire’obtain’attain’procure’secure her in/with regard to’concerning’regarding over a decade.” Get ready, e grossly one: the end really is nigh.###Read Greg Nicotero’s piece on The Walking Dead’s final run in the November 2022 issue of Empire – on sale Thursday 29 September, and available to order online here. The final season of The Walking Dead returns to Disney+ from 3 October.