11 things we learned about the making of the 'Walking Dead' season 7 premiere

Warning: There are massive spoilers ahead for "The Walking Dead."

"The Walking Dead" returned Sunday to AMC.

Monday, episode director and executive producer Greg Nicotero and Michael Cudlitz, who plays Abraham, spoke to reporters in two separate conference calls to learn more about the gut-wrenching premiere.

From the movies which inspired the episode to the fact that the entire cast knew exactly who was going to be killed for a year, the two revealed more about the making of the anticipated episode.

INSIDER was on both conference calls. Here's what we learned.