It's fair to say that The Walking Dead is a timeless franchise. The original AMC series is one of the most-watched cable shows of all time and there is no doubt that it has crafted an incredible legacy over the years - both during and after its run. And now, that legacy lives in on the various spinoffs designed to tell more stories featuring the main characters of the OG series.
The next installment of the franchise is The Walking Dead: Dead City season 3, which arrives on AMC and AMC+ this summer. Starring Lauren Cohan and Jeffrey Dean Morgan, who reprise their TWD roles as Maggie Rhee and Negan, the show has further explored the well-documented rivalry between the pair to mixed results. But the first full-length trailer for the new season suggests we're moving in a very different direction.
Maggie and Negan unite to survive in Dead City season 3 trailer
AMC has unveiled the first full-length trailer for The Walking Dead: Dead City season 3 and, well, it looks very different. The show, which has built itself upon the long-standing blood feud between enemies-turned-uneasy-allies Maggie and Negan, looks unrecognizable in this small preview from the third season - and that's a good thing.
While the previous two seasons have been focused on Maggie and Negan attempting to rescue Hershel from the clutches of The Croat - and later The Dama - this one is more about building towards the future. The season 2 finale saw the former enemies agree to finally move past their own history - which consisted of Maggie deciding to forgive Negan for killing Glenn all those years ago on the original series - in a bid to build a better New York for the future. And that very much comes across in the new season's more hopeful trailer.
That more hopeful, unique approach is intentional. This will mark the first season for new Dead City showrunner Seth Hoffman, who takes over from Eli Jorné and looks to provide a future for the spinoff beyond the two main characters' history. We can see that already take form in the trailer, as Maggie seemingly recruits a reluctant Negan to help her cause. While Maggie's new friends will undoubtedly question Negan's brutal methods, she seemingly holds out hope that there is more to him than the monster she once knew.
Hoffman is a TWD veteran himself, serving as executive producer on The Walking Dead during its peak of popularity, overseeing seasons 4, 5, and 6, so it's no surprise that he has found a new direction for these characters. He teased that we would be seeing this in an interview with Entertainment Weekly last month, saying:
"Maggie and Negan understandably have been like this for a very, very long time... And I think we were all excited to imagine what could it possibly look like for these two characters to genuinely be working together for a common goal."
Again, this is a super refreshing take on the pair's story. While it will undoubtedly receive a divisive response because, yes, Negan was an appalling human being who did some unforgivable things, the franchise has received criticism for going around in circles with the pair's story when they quite clearly wanted to let it go.
The series finale of The Walking Dead saw the pair leave their past behind when Maggie acknowledged that Negan had become a good person in the years since but that she could never forgive him for what he had done. She would no longer attempt to kill him and she would move on from the hold that revenge had over her, but that was where she would draw the line. It was a believable place to end their story. And yet, it wasn't the end.
When the pair reunited in Dead City, fans were critical of the franchise's decision to revive the conflict between them to justify the need for a spinoff. Therefore, while fellow spinoffs Daryl Dixon and The Ones Who Live were focused on moving the franchise forward, many felt that Dead City - despite its fascinating concept and visuals - was stuck in the past.
It looks as if the series may finally overcome that hurdle in its third season as the two rivals now set out to rebuild New York. The trailer even implies that Negan will kill for Maggie and that the two will even have some banter. Who would have thought?!
The Walking Dead: Dead City season 3 premieres on July 26, 2026.
Add us as a preferred source on Google