The Walking Dead‘s Robert Kirkman talks about what’s likely to happen in season 4, and with a much needed rejuvenation for the Walkers.

Robert Kirkman, the man behind The Walking Dead, has given his first insights into what fans can expect in the fourth season. With the third season’s filming officially finished, focus has been turned to the fourth season and Scott Gimple, who is to become the new showrunner by replacing Glenn Mazzara.

“We are going to amp up the threat of the walkers, because they’ve started to seem like a manageable threat. They are not a manageable threat…”

Kirkman and Gale Anne Hurd have given their first comments at PaleyFest, with Kirkman and Hurd commenting that the fourth season will be similar to the third, taking inspiration from the comic book series of The Walking Dead.

Kirkman said in an interview with Comic Book Resources, “We’ve always been sort of moving in and out of the comic book, and I think that we’re going to continue to do that. I think that there are huge elements of the comic book in Season 3. Moving into Season 4, it’s going to be pretty much the same.”

Hurd also commented that the series will see a rejuvenation of Walkers for the fourth season. Hurd said, “We are going to amp up the threat of the walkers, because they’ve started to seem like a manageable threat. They are not a manageable threat…”

And, after The Walking Dead 3×12 “Clear,” we have a very clear insight into Gimple’s work, with laser-sharp focus and nothing short of emotionally-driven characters in every single scene.

In regards to Gimple’s work, Hurd commented, “He’s very character-driven; he wrote the episode where Sofia comes out of the barn, he wrote 3×12 ‘Clear’ so you get his voice.”

What do think of Kirkman and Hurd’s comments regarding the upcoming fourth season? Do you feel that the Walkers have become a manageable threat?

The Walking Dead returns this Sunday on AMC at 9 p.m. ET/PT for the episode, “Arrow on the Doorpost.”