The Walking Dead is no stranger to star-power. The AMC franchise has featured the likes of Jeffrey Dean Morgan, David Morrisey, Robert Patrick, Rubén Blades, Hilarie Burton Morgan, Julia Ormond, Scott Ian, and John Carroll Lynch over the years. Heck, Andrew Lincoln's involvement in it raised its profile as he was instantly recognizable before he put on Rick Grimes' hat, while the original series ultimately catapulted him to new levels of superstardom. The same could be said for Lauren Cohan, Norman Reedus and Melissa McBride, who became overnight sensations due to their incredible performances.
Jeffrey Dean Morgan was already a well-established star by the time he took up Negan's infamous bat Lucille, but he delivered right out of the gate with his chilling performance in the season 6 finale. And that just goes to show you that newer cast additions can produce some of a long-running show's all-time great characters.
Speaking of star-power and new characters, the TWD Universe has added another major name to one of its spinoffs, and it really is clear that we're in for a heck of a season.
Raúl Castillo joins cast of The Walking Dead: Dead City season 3 in series regular role
Raúl Castillo has officially joined the TWD Universe. Deadline reports that the star has been cast in The Walking Dead: Dead City season 3 in the role of Luis. Although it doesn't offer any further information about the character or what kind of role he will play, it does confirm that he has joined the production on the third season in Boston (which doubles for New York City in the AMC spinoff series).
Castillo is a veteran of acting as well as a playwright and he is probably best known to audiences for his role in HBO series Looking (as well as its sequel film Looking: The Movie), in which he portrayed the character of Richie Donado Ventura. His other major roles have come in the film Cold Weather and the ongoing Mark Ruffalo-led HBO miniseries Task, in which he plays Cliff Broward. He's also had roles in Gotham, Riverdale, and American Horror Stories.
Joining the TWD Universe is another major feat in an incredible career for Castillo and it goes without saying that it's going to be an intriguing role considering where the show is at right now. Dead City focuses on longtime Walking Dead veterans Maggie Rhee (Lauren Cohan) and Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), who are forced to work together when the former's son Hershel ends up being taken to a post-apocalyptic Manhattan by a friend of the latter known as The Croat. Permanent enemies (due to the fact that Negan brutally killed Maggie's husband Glenn in the original series), they must become unlikely allies to save Maggie's son.
The second season saw the pair forced to team up again when Negan, who had now agreed to work for The Croat and The Dama to secure Hershel's freedom, attempted to get Maggie, who had been forced to return to the city with the New Babylon Marshals, and Hershel back out of the city.
In the end, it was Hershel who ended up siding with the villains, leaving Maggie, Negan, and their friend Perlie Armstrong, to try to rescue the young man and perhaps bring Manhattan back from the brink.
Castillo is joining an extremely exciting time for the show, which feels like it's finally building towards the hype that it started with, and he's not the only major addition this season either.
It was reported last month that Lucifer star Aimee Garcia had joined the cast in a series regular role to play the character of Renata, who is described as a disarmingly charming leader known for her optimism. Shortly after that, Emmy-nominated star of Westworld and Dark Matter Jimmi Simpson also joined as a series regular to play the mysterious role of Dillard.
It's not yet clear when exactly The Walking Dead: Dead City season 3 will premiere but, as production is currently ongoing, there is a pretty strong chance that it could debut on AMC and AMC+ in 2026, potentially ensuring that there isn't as long a wait between seasons this time around.