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Seven year veteran writer Angela Kang will be in charge of the ninth season of The Walking Dead, taking over as showrunner from Scott M. Gimple.

Gimple will become Chief Content Officer, with a brief to oversee The Walking Dead, Fear the Walking Dead and “potential brand extensions on a variety of platforms.”

“The Walking Dead is a special show which started in an entirely different era of TV, and continues, in this new era, to confidently take chances to tell compelling stories that excite audiences and make them deeply connect with its characters, adapting Robert Kirkman’s brilliant comic book,” Gimple said in a statement on Saturday. “As the show closes in on its tenth year, I’m honoured to keep working with the talented, dedicated people behind and in front of the camera to make it all it can be, while expanding the world of The Walking Dead with new narratives like Fear the Walking Dead and a whole host of truly cool stories ahead. Angela is a big part of the heart and soul of The Walking Dead, and I’m thrilled to help facilitate her vision of the show’s next era.”

“This is an enormously important day for the entire The Walking Dead television universe,” AMC boss Charlie Collier explained. “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. Further, with gratitude and admiration, we also recognize Scott’s broad impact on, and leadership of, the content that fuels our TWD universe. Together, we will dream bigger and more broadly than ever before.”

Kang will be the fourth showrunner on the series, following the departures of Frank Darabont, Glen Mazzara and Gimple. “I am beyond thrilled to be stepping into this new role with The Walking Dead,” she said. “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.”

The Walking Dead returns with new episodes on February 25 in the US (February 26 on Sky in the UK). Fear the Walking Dead will return on April 15 in the US.