Lauren Cohan signs on for The Walking Dead season 9

Lauren Cohan made a huge announcement at CinemaCon in Las Vegas: She will be returning to The Walking Dead for season 9.

The Walking Dead Family has been waiting on pins and needles to find out whether or not The Walking Dead star Lauren Cohan will return for the show’s ninth season. Cohan confirmed that she will be back as Maggie Rhee during an appearance at CinemaCon in Las Vegas on Tuesday. That’s right, everyone: The Widow’s alive with guns ablazing.

(Sorry, I couldn’t help it)

It has been a rough time for The Walking Dead fans as Cohan has openly held out on signing her contract with AMC. Her costars have been hugely supportive as Cohan worked to negotiate a better salary, which is much-deserved considering she is a longstanding and integral member of the cast. In the middle of the negotiations, Cohan signed onto a pilot for ABC, Whiskey Cavalier, which gave everyone cause for concern that she might be leaving.

The wait is finally over as Cohan confirms that her contract has been signed and she’ll be back on set next week when work on season 9 begins. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly Cohan said there is a lot of unfinished business with Maggie: “I’m going back. There’s a lot more Maggie story to tell. You know we’re not allowed to tell you anything, but it’s good.”

How’s that for a teaser?

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We’re in the middle of pilot season so it will be a while until we know whether or not ABC picks up Whiskey Cavalier, but even if they pick up the show we know that Cohan will still be part of The Walking Dead in season 9, putting to rest any concern that Maggie might be leaving the story.