Walking Dead's Tom Payne reprises role in new project set to release in 2025

Actor Tom Payne rose to prominence as Paul "Jesus" Rovia in The Walking Dead, Brett Aspinall in BBC's Waterloo Road, and Malcolm Bright in Prodigal Son. Variety reports that Payne will now reprise his role from the 2013 film The Physician.

Director Philipp Stölzl returns for The Physician II, a sequel to the 2013 historical drama that is based on Noah Gordon's novel. The new film is based on a story written by Jan Berger and Stölzl.

In the first film, set in an 11th-Century English town, Payne portrays a Christian English man, Rob Cole, who as a child watched is mother die of side sickness (appendicitis). He vows to study medicine and is gifted with the ability to sense when people are inflicted with a terminal illness. He studies under a barber-surgeon, learning the basics in medieval medicine. He then expands his knowledge by traveling to Persia to learn more.

The Physician stars Tom Payne, Ben Kingsley, Stellan Skarsgård, Olivier Martinez, and Emma Rigby in lead roles.

The Physician II picks up after Cole and his companion are forced to flee Isfahan and find themselves in London. While there, they begin to spread their medical knowledge, and Cole becomes intrigued by the royal court. He begins another fight for his patients, recognition of his work, and the suffering of the human soul.

In the sequel Payne will be joined by Emily Cox (The Last Kingdom: Seven Kings Must Die), Aidan Gillen (Game of Thrones, Maze Runner), Áine Rose Daly (Boiling Point, Hanna), Owen Teale (Robin Hood, Game of Thrones), and Liam Cunningham (Game of Thrones, Hunger).

Filming for the new movie took place in Hungary, Cologne, and Berlin between August and October 2024. The movie will release in German cinemas on Dec. 25. 2025 with Beta Cinema handling international sales.

Payne had this to say regarding his reprisal of a role he played over 10 years ago.

"Not many actors have the opportunity to return to a role they have played. Let alone 10 years later. It is a unique honor that I am able to revisit a character known and beloved by millions and share a new adventure that explores meaningful and universal themes within an epic and engrossing story. I am excited for people to once again enter the world of Rob Cole and enjoy a timeless movie experience."

- Tom Payne

Payne currently stars in a recurring role as a character named Julian Emery in Law & Order: Organized Crime. He also stars in Kevin Costner's Horizon: An American Saga, parts 1 and 2. In 2024, he appeared in the supernatural horror, Imaginary.

Be sure to check out Payne and his wife Jennifer Åkerman in their podcast California Dreamin, where they chat about the joys and challenges of parenthood, careers and the most recent additions to their family, twins.

Check out these stories and more on Undead Walking:

Follow Undead Walking on Twitter (X) and Facebook and sign up for the once-daily Undead Walking newsletter to avoid missing out on everything in The Walking Dead universe.