So it begins. AMC has revealed that The Walking Dead season 11, the final season of the long-running zombie series, has begun filming. It was announced last year by the network that they planned to bring the show to a close with the upcoming season. While there is still a whole lot more to come before the survivors pack it in for good, this is the beginning of the end. Or, at the very least, the start of something new.

The show's official social media accounts revealed an image from the set. It features the clapboard in front of a destroyed windmill, serving as our first glance at season 11. Little else was revealed, though we can see that Kevin Dowling is directing the episode. The image was shared on Twitter with the following caption.

"The first day of the last season of #TWD."

News of production getting underway was also shared by several key members of the team. Showrunner Angela Kang shared the post on Instagram saying, "Let's do this." producer Kevin Deiboldt additionally confirmed the news on Twitter. Deiboldt shared a little sketch of a walker on his feed which sports the words, "First day of filming season 11." The artwork was presented with the following caption as well.

"Kudos to our crew and cast (asskickers, the lot of 'em!) on the long-awaited start of filming for S11. A full (effed up) year in the works, we truly hope it's worth the wait. #TWD #TheWalkingDead"

Had the world not fallen apart in 2020, production would have started sooner. But the world had other plans. Production was paused for months on most projects in Hollywood. As a result, the original season 10 finale of The Walking Dead aired months later as a one-off special. AMC then made the decision to extend season 10 with six additional episodes. Those episodes will begin airing later this month. That means, in all likelihood, season 11 will kick off its run in the fall, assuming everything stays on schedule. The expectation is that The Walking Dead series finale will air sometime in 2022. But that doesn't mean the franchise is ending. Not by a long shot.

A spin-off centered on Daryl and Carol is in the works, as is an anthology series titled Tales of the Walking Dead. TWD universe head Scott Gimple has also teased a possible comedy series set within the franchise. Meanwhile, Fear the Walking Dead season 7 has been given the green light, with the second and final season of Walking Dead: World Beyond also on the way. To cap it all off, the Rick Grimes movies starring Andrew Lincoln are still on the table, with production expected to begin sometime this year. Again, that could change, as anything relating to big productions is tentative at best right now. We'll be sure to keep you posted as any further details are made available. Be sure to check out the set photo for yourself from The Walking Dead Twitter account.