'The Walking Dead' will be going through some big changes when it makes its return for its ninth season. We know that Angela Kang is stepping in as the series' new showrunner, and that Andrew Lincoln will be bowing out of his lead role as Rick Grimes in the zombie apocalyptic series, but now new information has emerged about what to expect from the actual plot of the upcoming batch of new episodes.

Norman Reedus is getting more screen time in 'The Walking Dead' season 9Norman Reedus is getting more screen time in 'The Walking Dead' season 9

Negan's (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) reign of terror has seemingly come to an end in the show, following his capture at the end of season 8, bringing to a close a season of violence and conflict that saw survivors butting heads and killing one another to keep moving forward. Now though, the series will be moving away from the warring communities formula to get back to the heart of what 'The Walking Dead' was always meant to be: building new civilisations and working together to thrive.

An insider at Skybound confirmed in a recent fan mailbag segment: "While some of the communities will experience more growth, each one still has a lot of work to do... Those civilisation blocks [Georgie] gave to Maggie will definitely play into the rebuilding of the Hilltop and beyond... We will see a lot more rebuilding than the typical altercations between communities. Our heroes will also be on the road a lot more than recent seasons."

Also promising some "really adorable" scenes between Rick and Michonne (Danai Gurira) in season 9, as well as an increased amount of screen time for Norman Reedus as Daryl Dixon, there's going to be a lot to chew over when 'The Walking Dead' makes its return to the small screen. Let's hope the magic and success the show saw when it first debuted can be recaptured when it makes its comeback later this year.

More: Andrew Lincoln Quits 'The Walking Dead'; Will Leave In Season 9

'The Walking Dead' returns later this year for its ninth season on AMC in the US and FOX in the UK.