The Walking Dead may be close to a contract extension for Lauren Cohan

Maggie Greene (Lauren Cohan) - The Walking DeadPhoto by Gene Page/AMC
Maggie Greene (Lauren Cohan) - The Walking DeadPhoto by Gene Page/AMC /
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The Walking Dead season 9 will start production in a few months and Scott Gimple is “hopeful” that Lauren Cohan will return.

The Walking Dead has been in a precarious position lately as the show says goodbye to Carl in the midseason premiere and prepares to start production on season 9. That’s because another beloved character, Maggie Greene, may not be returning.

Lauren Cohan’s contract with the show expires at the end of season 8. At this time, she and the show haven’t been able to agree on a deal for a new contract. Fans are anxious to find out if Cohan will leave the show in order to pursue some of the many other opportunities that she’s been offered.

But according to a new interview with TV Line, executive producer Scott Gimple seemed hopeful that the show and Cohan will be able to reach a deal. Maybe that means that the ongoing negotiations are getting closer to finalizing a contract that both sides are happy with? Here’s what Gimple had to say:

"“I’m incredibly hopeful about” Lauren returning to the show. “And Lauren is an actor who has such intuition and such power,” Gimple says. “So yeah, hopefully, it all works out.”"

He also indicated that talks between the two parties are ongoing, so there is still hope that Maggie will return for season 9.

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Maggie’s Story Is Far From Over

There’s a lot of incentive for the show to negotiate a new deal with Cohan because Maggie is a fan favorite character and has a large role to play in The Walking Dead moving forward. Maggie is pregnant and fans would be upset if Baby Rhee doesn’t make an appearance in the show. As the last link with Glenn fans need the emotional closure that the arrival of Glenn’s child will bring.

But besides the pregnancy storyline, Maggie has the potential to become an even bigger part of the show. She is now the de facto leader at The Hilltop and is becoming a force to be reckoned with. When Rick and Michonne are dealing with their grief over losing Carl Maggie’s leadership is going to be important to keep the communities moving forward as well to protect The Hilltop and any survivors from Alexandria that take shelter there. Alexandria was burned by Negan and The Saviors in the midseason finale.

Traditionally The Walking Dead starts production of the next season in late April/early May so the production date for Season 9 is getting close. That adds even more incentive for the show to negotiate in good faith with Cohan.

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Many fans were upset by the death of Carl this season and would be even more upset if Maggie were killed off on the show as well. Even though Maggie’s not one of the original Atlanta survivors she is so much a part of the core group that she might as well be one. It’s good that talks are ongoing and hopefully the show will do what it takes to strike a deal and keep Lauren Cohan as part of The Walking Dead.