History WhatCouldHaveBeen / TheWalkingDead

* Heath was intended to have a larger role, as his comic counterpart is a major supporting character, but Corey Hawkins injured his ankle during filming, and his scenes in "Now" and "Start to Finish" ended up getting cut. Then Hawkins was cast as the lead in ''Series/TwentyFourLegacy'' and was PutOnABus along with Tara (as Alanna Masterson was very pregnant) at the end of "Not Tomorrow Yet."

* Early spoilers indicated that a one-legged 17-year-old named Burton would join the group at Terminus, though the character was ultimately scrapped.

* George A. Romero was asked if he wanted to write for the show, but he refused, later calling the show a "soap opera with zombies." Since then, he has insulted the show and any other zombie-related media that does not adhere to the narrowly-defined anti-consumerist satire that zombies are used for in his own B-movies.

* George A. Romero was asked if he wanted to write for the show, but declined, as the zombies in the show aren't used for the satire or political criticism that Romero uses them for.

* Creator/JohnHawkes was offered the role of The Governor, but turned it down due to misgivings about taking a part on network TV.

* Heath was intended to have a larger role, but Corey Hawkins injured his ankle during filming and also scenes he appeared in in "Now" and "Start to Finish" ended up getting cut. Then Hawkins was cast as the lead in ''Series/TwentyFourLegacy'' and was PutOnABus along with Tara (as Alanna Masterson was very pregnant) at the end of "Not Tomorrow Yet."

* Robert Kirkman and company actually did seriously consider [[spoiler: sparing Glenn]] and discussed several options to do so, but ultimately decided that it would be impossible to do as the character's death was the impetus for so many storylines and CharacterDevelopment.

* Heath was intended to have a larger role, but Corey Hawkins injured his ankle during filming and also scenes he appeared in in "Now" and "Start to Finish" ended up getting cut. Then Hawkins was cast as the lead in ''[[Series/TwentyFour 24: Legacy]]'' and was PutOnABus along with Tara (as Alanna Masterson was very pregnant) at the end of "Not Tomorrow Yet."

* Creator/TimothyOlyphant, Matt Dillon, Creator/GarretDillahunt, and Music/HenryRollins (whose appearance comic Negan is based on) all auditioned for the role of Negan. It was also offered to Creator/CharlieSheen.

* From all accounts, it would appear "The Well" was originally intended to air as the third episode of the season, but it was flipped to become the second to air; possibly as a way to have a BreatherEpisode after the dark, violent season premiere.

* Robert Kirkman has stated in interviews that he is dissatisfied with the season finale ("TS-19"), and would have nixed the concept altogether if he had greater authorial oversight. He claimed that Darabont was responsible for the episode, and that if he had his way, the season would have ended in a different (and more mysterious) matter altogether.

* Kirkman revealed that there were plans to kill off Hershel as early as Season 2, during Randall's escape.

* Norman Reedus originally auditioned for the role of Merle Dixon. Although he didn't get the part, his performance wowed the producers so much that they created the role of Daryl for him in the show.

* Glen Mazzara has stated that he considered killing Beth instead of Axel in the episode "Home", but decided against it because it would have added too much to the existing storylines and it made for a better shock to kill off the latter character.
* Greg Nicotero stated at the 2014 Walker Stalker Con that he tried to pitch an idea to the executives where The Governor would have his throat slit (but survive) at the end of "I Ain't A Judas", as Andrea actually followed through on Carol's advice and attempted to kill him in his sleep. This would have given an explanation for why Andrea is kidnapped and put in the torture chair, but the pitch never went ahead.

* According to extras who appeared in "Welcome to the Tombs", there were many additional scenes of Woodbury soldiers being attacked by Rick and Michonne in the tombs, along with soldiers falling into barbed wire traps placed out by the group beforehand, but these were all deleted from the final print and haven't been seen to date.

* Both Creator/{{NBC}} and Creator/{{HBO}} passed on the show before it was picked up by Creator/{{AMC}}.

* Tara was PutOnABus, along with Heath, for the last few episodes of the season because Alanna Masterson was nearing the end of her pregnancy.

* Music/HenryRollins auditioned for the role of Negan, whose appearance in the comic is based on him. Creator/GarretDillahunt also tried out for the part, and it was offered to Creator/CharlieSheen.

* Creator/ThomasJane was originally intended to star, when Frank Darabont first pitched the show to Creator/{{AMC}}.

* Ross Marquand (who plays Aaron) and Daniel Bonjour (who plays Aiden Monroe) were among those who auditioned for the role of Gareth.

* Had Frank Darabont still been the showrunner at this point, the man responsible for the critically acclaimed films ''Film/TheShawshankRedemption'' and ''Film/TheGreenMile'' would have adapted yet another {[Prison}}-based storyline to the screen.

* Jeffrey Demunn (Dale) asked to be written out of the show after the situation with Darabont, but had a change of heart and attempted to stay on afterwards. However, AMC refused to budge and had his character killed off near the end of the season. As a result, his storyline and encounter with the Hunters in the comic was transferred over to the character of [[spoiler:Bob Stookey]].

* Season 1:
** Creator/ThomasJane was originally intended to star, when Frank Darabont first pitched the show to Creator/{{AMC}}.
** Ethan Embry, who plays Carter in the Season 6 premiere, originally auditioned for the roles of Rick and Shane.
** Norman Reedus originally auditioned for the role of Merle Dixon. Although he didn't get the part, his performance wowed the producers so much that they created the role of Daryl for him in the show.
** George A. Romero was asked if he wanted to write for the show, but declined, as the zombies in the show aren't used for the satire or political criticism that Romero uses them for.
** Darabont essentially [[http://www.vulture.com/2010/12/walking_dead_writers_fired.html fired his entire writing staff]] midway through filming of the season, although AMC claimed that said writers weren't fired (despite production sources indicating otherwise). This may have been a result of cost-cutting measures AMC forced on Darabont (see below).
** Robert Kirkman has stated in interviews that he is dissatisfied with the season finale ("TS-19"), and would have nixed the concept altogether if he had greater authorial oversight. He claimed that Darabont was responsible for the episode, and that if he had his way, the season would have ended in a different (and more mysterious) matter altogether.
* Season 2:
** Had Frank Darabont not been fired, the second-season premiere (as indicated in preview trailers, leaked information from various sources and deleted scenes in the Season 2 boxset) would have resolved the Vatos plotline introduced in the first season episode of the same name. In the original premiere (titled "Miles Behind Us"), Shane almost gets overtaken by a horde of walkers when his car breaks down after leaving the CDC, and he is saved by Dale and Rick in the RV. With limited options, the group goes to the Vatos camp to warn them that things are much worse than they expected. They find the retirement home overrun (with Guillermo and the rest of the Vatos having been executed by an unknown party), and proceed to take down every walker in the vicinity before hiding inside the home until the morning. The encounter with the horde of walkers on the highway is the only major remnant of the original premiere (as most of the footage was, according to AMC, "unusable"). In total, just 1/3 of the filmed material remained. The Vatos resolution also counts as an AbortedArc.
** There [[http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/GraphicCity/news/?a=52265 was a series of webisodes planned]] that were described as "''Film/BlackHawkDown''-meets-zombies", and would have followed a soldier who encounters several of the main characters while fighting through Atlanta during the initial outbreak. The webseries would have explained the story of the soldier in the tank in the pilot -- who, as it turns out, was played by an uncredited Creator/SamWitwer. With Darabont being fired, his plan for this fell through. According to Witwer, there were dozens of other little things like this that Darabont had plans for in the future, but due to cost-cutting measures by AMC (despite his attempts to push the budget down), this never occurred.
** Morgan was supposed to reappear in Season 2, but it was delayed due to Lennie James having a busy schedule.
** Kirkman revealed that there were plans to kill off Hershel as early as Season 2, during Randall's escape.
** Jeffrey Demunn (Dale) asked to be written out of the show after the situation with Darabont, but had a change of heart and attempted to stay on afterwards. However, AMC refused to budge and had his character killed off near the end of the season. As a result, his storyline and encounter with the Hunters in the comic was transferred over to the character of [[spoiler:Bob Stookey]].
** According to Greg Nicotero, Dale was originally going to encounter Jimmy (instead of a cow) after the latter was attacked by the zombie in the field, which would then attack and critically injure him before he's put down by the group.
** The production crew threw around several different concepts for Shane and Rick's final encounter in "Better Angels". There were originally an idea to keep Shane alive and have him appear in the following season, and another (as noted by Glen Mazzara in a Comicbook.com interview) to kill Rick himself(!) and have Shane lead the group. In the end, the powers that be had Rick kill Shane by stabbing him in the chest, then having Carl land the final shot on the zombified man.
* Season 3:
** Creator/JohnHawkes was offered the role of The Governor, but turned it down due to misgivings about taking a part on network TV.
** Axel's actor revealed that Axel was originally written as a serial killer who would kidnap one of the group members after being freed from the prison.
** Glen Mazzara has stated that he considered killing Beth instead of Axel in the episode "Home", but decided against it because it would have added too much to the existing storylines and it made for a better shock to kill off the latter character.
** Greg Nicotero stated at the 2014 Walker Stalker Con that he tried to pitch an idea to the executives where The Governor would have his throat slit (but survive) at the end of "I Ain't A Judas", as Andrea actually followed through on Carol's advice and attempted to kill him in his sleep. This would have given an explanation for why Andrea is kidnapped and put in the torture chair, but the pitch never went ahead.
** Merle's death was decided so late in production that it was only finalized moments before shooting for "This Sorrowful Life" was set to begin. Had he survived, Merle was intended to become a recurring character throughout the fourth season. There were also plans to have a B-plot in the episode that would follow Andrea and Milton attempting to bomb The Governor's apartment, but this was rejected on the grounds of being too ridiculous for the show.
** According to extras who appeared in "Welcome to the Tombs", there were many additional scenes of Woodbury soldiers being attacked by Rick and Michonne in the tombs, along with soldiers falling into barbed wire traps placed out by the group beforehand, but these were all deleted from the final print and haven't been seen to date.
** Andrea was [[http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/walking-dead-season-3-finale-interview-robert-kirkman-431968 originally intended]] to become the leader of Woodbury at the end of Season 3. Instead, she dies, and the townspeople she fought so hard to save are brought to the prison, where they are quickly and unceremoniously rubbed out by the flu and in the immediate fallout from the prison arc, leaving no extant survivors.
** According to [[http://comicbook.com/blog/2013/04/02/the-walking-dead-finale-deleted-scene-show-alternate-death-ending/ various]] [[http://screencrush.com/the-walking-dead-season-3-finale-andrea-alternate-ending/ accounts]], the deaths of Andrea/Milton in "Welcome to the Tombs" were intended to be completely different. The episode would have begun with Milton being unexpectedly shot in the stomach in the torture room by The Governor, and left to bleed out while Andrea is still tied up. There would have been more scenes of Milton trying to open the door, along with trying to choke Andrea with a chain in order to spare her from being eaten alive. The subplot was supposed to end with Milton turning, being shown taking a bite out of Andrea's chest, and Tyreese discovering her and shooting Milton. Afterwards, she would ask Tyreese for a gun to kill herself with. The subplot was eventually reshot for the broadcast version, and the only remnant left of the original plan is Tyreese saying to Sasha that he's going to look around in Woodbury.
* Season 4:
** The Mika and Lizzie characters were originally written to be male and female twins, but this was changed after actress Kyla Kenedy's audition impressed the producers so much that they changed the Mika character from a boy (Mike) to a girl.
* Season 5:
** Ross Marquand auditioned for the role of Gareth (one of the Hunters), but ended up receiving the role of Aaron instead.

** Norman Reedus originally auditioned for the role of Meryl Dixon. Although he didn't get the part, his performance wowed the producers so much that they created the role of Daryl (Merle's brother) for him in the show.

* Jeffrey Demunn (Dale) asked to be written out of the show after the situation with Darabont, but had a change of heart and attempted to stay on afterwards. However, AMC refused to budge and had his character killed off near the end of the season. As a result, his storyline and encounter with the Hunters in the comic was transferred over to the character of [[spoiler:Bob Stookey]].

** Merle's death was decided so late in production that it was only finalized moments before shooting for "This Sorrowful Life" was set to begin. Had he survived, Merle was intended to become a recurring character throughout the fourth season. There were also plans to have a B-plot in the episode that would follow Andrea and Milton attempting to bomb The Governor's apartment by placing a bomb in it, but this was rejected on the grounds of being too ridiculous for the show.