"The Walking Dead" is taking over San Diego Comic-Con this week. The highly anticipated convention is running from July 24- 27, and the hit AMC show has released its Season 5 banner ahead of Friday's panel.

The 2014 Comic-Con banner was release by the network on Monday. The first Season 5 promo poster features series regulars Rick (Andrew Lincoln), Carl (Chandler Riggs), Michonne (Danai Gurira), Daryl (Norman Reedus), Glenn (Steven Yeun) and Maggie (Lauren Cohan). Fans will also be surprised to see Sgt. Abraham Ford (Michael Cudlitz), one of the newer additions to the cast, made the cut. 

All the characters can be seen handcuffed inside the Terminus train car that Gareth and the other Termites locked them inside at the end of the Season 4 finale. While no premiere date for the new season is indicated on the banner, it does say viewers can expect the series to return to AMC in October 2014.

"The Walking Dead" Comic-Con panel will take place in Hall H on Friday at 12:20 p.m. PDT. The cast will be in attendance, along with showrunner Scott Gimple, executive producers Robert Kirkman, Gale Anne Hurd, Dave Alpert and Greg Nicotero. "Talking Dead" host Chris Hardwick is the moderator.

The return of "The Walking Dead" is just a few months away and creator Robert Kirkman is beginning to drop some hints about what fans can expect in season 5.

"We really hit the ground running. What I mean by that is that we very quickly deal with the situation that we left them in - this trapped, victim situation where they're kind of at the mercy of the people of Terminus," Kirkman tells Entertainment Weekly, and adds that there are big surprises coming.

"There's a lot of big revelations that haven't really come out that I think people are gonna be pretty startled by. There's a couple other revelations that I think people might've gotten a little bit of a lead on. We'll definitely be defining those in some cool ways and confirming some theories and shooting down others, which is very exciting."

He also says protagonist Rick Grimes will start to mirror the grittier comic book version of the character that inspired the hit TV series.

"I know everyone's been asking, 'When's that guy coming? When are we gonna see that guy?' I can say with confidence that he's here, and Andrew Lincoln is having, I think, a great time with it."

Meanwhile, new photos of some cast members have been released, and one shows Carol holding baby Judith in her arms. It is a relief to find out that Judith is alive, and how Rick and Carl will react once they see Judith alive will definitely be one of the defining moments of the next season

In other reports, it is also suggested that a new romance will brew next season. Glenn and Maggie won't be the only couple trying to survive 'walkers.' Wetpaint posted that Beth will have a new romantic interest in the form of Andrew, a new character to be played by actor Ansel Egort.

However, show runner Scott Gimple hinted at her return during 'The Talking Dead' show. "I will say that Beth's story - whatever it is - will be told," Gimple confirmed to the show host, Chris Hardwick. Though there were rumours of a possible romance of Daryl Dixon and Beth, Latin Time reported that Beth will fall in love with the new character Andrew, played by Elgort. The website reported the news on the basis of a picture posted on Twitter with the account @TheWalkingDeadNews.

The tweet reads: "@AnselElgort of TFIOS will be playing Andrew in Season 5 of #TheWalkingDead who could have a "thing" with Beth!"

In an interview with Larry King, show runner Scott M. Gimple (who will return as producer this season) revealed that there will be no time jumps, and that season 5 will pick up where the show left off. It has also been reported that the first episode will be "nothing short of a movie."

"It'll be very difficult for such a cliffhanger to be skipped over on what happens next," said the showrunner in his Larry King appearance.

The website reported that the first episode of TWD will run for 90 minutes via Spoiling the Dead. The Spoiling the Dead report via Wetpaint reads:

"Hey guys. I've been seeing people(two different twd fan pages) quoting Greg Nicotero apparently confirming that the first episode will be 90 minutes, and will be like a 'mini-movie'. Now I haven't found anything further than this so I figured I would post this here and find out if it is true. Mods delete if necessary. Would make sense considering there is going to be a lot of action to start the season."

Check back Friday when the first trailer for "The Walking Dead" Season 5 is released at Comic Con