Season four of The Walking Dead closed with a massive cliffhanger. Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and his cohorts thought the colony of Terminus would offer them safe haven from the ever-present zombie hordes but now they find themselves stripped of their weapons and imprisoned in a box car. However, Rick ended the final episode with the ultimate closing line: 'they're gonna feel pretty stupid when they find out … they're fucking with the wrong people.' Now that’s fighting talk.

Unsurprisingly, fans of the series are on tenterhooks awaiting their fate. The Walking Dead has become a surprise hit across the globe – in America it's the highest rated cable show of all time. To causal observers it might just look like another run-of-the-mill horror series packed with zombies, gore and action. And while The Walking Dead definitely delivers all of the above, what really sets it apart is the depth of the characterisation. We have followed this ragtag band of survivors through the zombie apocalypse. It's a harsh and brutal landscape where hard decisions have to be made every day. Only Games of Thrones can rival The Walking Dead when it comes to killing off beloved characters.

Negotiating Terminus could be their biggest challenge yet as, with all good zombie stories, the real villains are other human beings rather than the undead. 'Season five is really thrilling,' explains Danai Gurira who plays sword wielding badass Michonne. 'I mean it goes in so many astoundingly unexpected directions that you really have to hold on tight because you just will never know where it's going next and it's really, really thrilling in terms of what's happening in the micro sense but also what's happening between people and how they navigate personal relationships and personal ambitions.'

'It's got the teariest of moments and the most frightening of moments,' adds Norman Reedus who plays sharp-shooting redneck Daryl. 'I mean I'm right in the thick of it right now. I mean they're beating the crap out of us over there [on set]. I got hit in the face with a spinal cord; I'll just leave it at that. But yeah it's been nuts.'

Comic-Con Trailer: The Walking Dead: Season 5