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We still980 Archivesa little over a month of waiting until The Walking Deadreturns for the second half of Season 7. But AMC has taken pity on us and released an intriguing new synopsis for the next batch of episodes in which Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and his group prepare to take the fight to Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) and his Saviors.

Here's what AMC has to say about the show's new direction:

The first half of Season 7 saw Rick and the group broken by Negan, forced to fall under his will and brutally convinced to live under his rules. The second half of the season will focus on preparing for war and gathering the supplies and numbers to take Negan down once and for all.

Rick’s group will find out yet again that the world isn’t what they thought it was. It’s muchbigger than anything they’ve seen so far. While they have a singular purpose -- to defeat Negan -- it won’t come easy.

More importantly, victory will require more than Alexandria. They need the numbers of the Kingdom and the Hilltop, but, similar to how Rick felt, Ezekiel (Khary Payton) and Gregory (Xander Berkeley) do not want bloodshed. To convince them otherwise will take more than speeches. The lengths Rick and the group will have to go to in order to find weapons, food and new fighters is nothing short of remarkable.

We’ll meet new survivors in incredible places. We’ll see Rick and the group tested in ways we’ve never seen before. We'll see treachery from people we trust.  Rick is confident [that] he will see his group and many others band together with the common goal of taking down Negan.  But no amount of planning will prepare the group for all-out war with Negan and his army.

Spencer was already undermining Rick's leadership in the first half of the season. Negan repaid that treachery by literally spilling Spencer's guts all over the street, but the summary certainly makes it seem like someone else's trustworthiness may be in doubt as we head toward the finale.

And even though Rick intends to unite the clans and take down Negan once and for all, we probably shouldn't hold our breath for a cathartic, Negan-busting season finale. Indeed, Jeffrey Dean Morgan has confirmed that he'll be "around for Season 8."

Check out new photos from the ninth episode of Season 7, which will premiere Sunday, Feb. 12 at 9 p.m. on AMC.