Since The Walking Dead series ended in 2022, series fans have been excited to see their favorite TWD actors take on new roles. While many fan-favorites like Daryl Dixon, Negan, and Rick Grimes have been featured in spinoffs, many other actors have branched out into roles outside TWDU.
Recently, Deadline reported that Walking Dead's Jesus (Tom Payne) will star in Fox's The Faithful, a limited Biblical series which airs on Fox. Payne was announced with Alexa Davalos (FBI: Most Wanted), Tom Mison (Sleepy Hollow), and Ben Robson (Animal Kingdom).
In May 2025, Fox announced the first installment of The Faithful, a three-week Biblical event series that is scheduled to premiere on Sunday, March 22. Each week, the event will air a two-hour installment that will conclude with the finale on Easter Sunday, April 5. The segments will stream on Hulu one day after airing on Fox.
The story is based on the best-selling book of all time, the Bible, and is a dramatization of the Book of Genesis. It is told through the eyes of the courageous and passionate woman, who, although flawed, shaped the future of faith as it is known today. The Faithful features the stories of five legendary women who were featured in the Old Testament: Sarah and her servant Hagar, Sarah’s great-niece Rebekah, and Rebekah’s nieces, sisters Leah and Rachel.
The premiere installment features Minnie Driver (Good Will Hunting, Circle of Friends) as Sarah, Jeffrey Donovan (Fargo, Burn Notice) as Abraham, and Natacha Karam (9-1-1: Lone Star) as Hagar. Here, Sarah's story of isolation, famine, barrenness, and more is told. But then, "a miracle happens… And personal freedoms are at odds with long-held grievances and shattered love."
The second installment centers on Rebekah (Davalos), her husband Isaac (Mison), and their adult sons Jacob (Payne) and Esau (Robson). This segment will follow Rebekah, a bold, compassionate, and courageous woman, who makes a decision that defines generations. "After a conversation with God sets her on an irreversible path," where she is tested in every imaginable way.
Payne will portray Jacob, second born son of Rebekah and Isaac, a survivor and strategist who will rely on his cunning and determination as he seeks out blessings for his life. "In Jacob, we see not perfection, but transformation. Not divine purity, but divine persistence."
Details of the third installment of The Faithful has yet to be revealed.
Payne, who welcomed unexpected twins with his wife Jennifer Åkerman in 2024, most recently appeared in several episodes of Law & Order: Organized Crime. He also starred in parts 1 and 2 of Kevin Costner's Horizon: An American Saga. Chapter 1 is currently streaming on HBO Max, with Chapter 2 expected at a later date.
Other roles the actor is known for include Jesus, aka Paul Rovia, on The Walking Dead, Max in the Blumhouse psychological horror Imaginary, and Malcom Bright in the Fox series The Prodigal Son.
In December 2025, Payne will reprise his role as passionate physician Rob Cole from the 2013 historical drama The Physician. Additional cast for the first movie included Ben Kingsley (as physician Ibn Sina), Stellan Skarsgård, Olivier Martinez, and Emma Rigby in lead roles. The Physician is available to stream on Tubi, Plex, and Roku.
The second movie, The Physician 2: The Return, is directed by the original film director Philipp Stölzl. Payne is joined by Emily Cox (The Last Kingdom), Aidan Gillen (Game of Thrones), Áine Rose Daly (Boiling Point), Owen Teale (Robin Hood), and Liam Cunningham (Game of Thrones). The movie is scheduled for a German release on December 25, 2025, and international sales are being handled by Beta Cinema, so hopefully it will also be released in the United States.