The Walking Dead returns for the back half of season two on February 12, and AMC will be doing everything it can to hype the (second) premiere.

Look for a marathon of season one to air on February 11, while the first set of season two episodes will air all afternoon the following day, leading in to the 10 p.m. return episode. The network has also released the following new promotional poster:

Meanwhile, executive producer Glen Mazzara took questions yesterday at the Television Critics Association press tour and revealed the following tidbits:

• Season three will be comprised of 16 episodes and likely split into two segments of eight and eight, with a long hiatus in between.
• The ramifications of Sophia’s death will be felt immediately, affecting the relationship between Carol and Daryl and forcing "Carol to really stand on her own.”
• The Shane versus Rick feud will ramp up and place "everybody else in a difficult position on that farm."
• We won't ever get an origin story revealing why or how the zombie outbreak came to be.

Matt Richenthal is the Editor in Chief of TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter and on Google+.