The Walking Dead: Dead City will be the first direct spinoff of The Walking Dead. Set in apocalyptic Manhattan, this series will be quite a departure from the setting of the original. While two familiar faces will be featured in this series, Maggie (Lauren Cohan) and Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), many new characters will be introduced into this storyline.
Dead City will premiere on AMC and AMC+ on June 18, 2023, at 10 p.m. ET immediately following the midseason 8 finale of Fear the Walking Dead’s final season. Dead City’s story will begin with six episodes, and it has been confirmed that Maggie’s son Hershel has been abducted, which is the rescue mission that sees Maggie and Negan join forces. Viewers were certain that for Maggie to team up with Negan, her son’s well-being would likely be the root.
Since Dead City is set a few years after the events of The Walking Dead’s series finale episode, Hershel Rhee, played by Kien Michael Spiller in seasons 10 and 11, has been recast by an older actor. Logan Kim, known for his role in Ghostbusters: Afterlife, will play an older version of Hershel in Dead City.
The Walking Dead: Dead City – new characters
The Croat will be portrayed by Željko Ivanek, known for his roles in Damages, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, and Hannibal. The Croat is the man responsible for the abduction of Hershel and will be met early in the story. Showrunner Eli Jorné teased fans at WonderCon 2023 by saying this character is a fascinating addition to the universe.
Maggie tracked the Croat and his group from Hilltop to New York, and somehow Negan is the key to securing Hershel’s release.
Gaius Charles will play Marshall Perlie Armstrong and is known for his roles in Grey’s Anatomy, Salt, and Friday Night Lights. Armstrong is tasked with keeping law and order in New Babylon, a community trying to rebuild the world after the outbreak.
One of Armstrong’s biggest challenges is trying to capture a man named Negan. This adds a whole new dynamic to the story. How does Armstrong know Negan?
Additional characters’ details have been kept under wraps, but there will be many other new ones introduced, including:
- Trey Santiago-Hudson – Jano
- Mahina Napoleon – Ginny
- Jonathan Higginbotham – Tommaso
- Karina Oritz – Amaia
- Michael Anthony – Luther
- Aixa Kendrick – Scavenger Woman
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