As previously speculated, AMC's The Walking Dead will jump forward in time in its upcoming ninth season.

In her first press event since succeeding Scott Gimple as showrunner, Angela Kang confirmed the series will indeed move ahead in the story of the survivors, similar to the two-year jump in the comic book source material.

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"We're playing with time in the season, so we get to jump forward in the story," she said. "We're working on a season that has a really fresh look and feel."

Rumors of the time jump picked up steam several weeks ago when an Instagram post by a crew member referenced "A New Beginning," the title of the comic book arc that picks up two years after the resolution of "All Out War," the conflict between Rick Grimes and Negan.

During the panel, Kang also teased big things to come for the women of the series.

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"We're going to see some really great stories with the women in our show, particularly. And I think for people who are really invested in Michonne, Maggie or Carol, there's such great material for them," she said. "For people who are looking for that specifically, they will see some really incredible work from our women."

The Walking Dead stars Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes, Norman Reedus as Daryl Dixon, Lauren Cohan as Maggie Rhee, Danai Gurira as Michonne, Melissa McBride as Carol Peletier, Lennie James as Morgan Jones, Alanna Masterson as Tara Chambler, Josh McDermitt as Eugene Porter, Christian Serratos as Rosita Espinosa, and Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Negan. The series is expected to return on AMC for its ninth season in October, with an official date to be announced next month at Comic-Con International in San Diego.

(via The Hollywood Reporter)