While The Walking Dead may be in the midst of its final season, AMC does not seem ready to say goodbye to some of the characters from the flagship series. Today, the network has announced that the green light has been given to another series set in the Walking Dead universe. This new spinoff, titled Isle of the Dead, will star Lauren Cohan and Jeffrey Dean Morgan.
The new series, which is set to come to AMC+ and AMC in 2023, will have a six-episode first season and will see Cohan and Morgan reprising their roles of Maggie and Negan, respectively. In Isle of the Dead, Maggie and Negan will find themselves in "a post-apocalyptic Manhattan long ago cut off from the mainland. The crumbling city is filled with the dead and denizens who have made New York City their own world full of anarchy, danger, beauty, and terror."
Isle of the Dead will see Eli Jorné serving as the showrunner and as an executive producer on the new series. Jorné has an overall deal with AMC Studios and has worked for multiple seasons on the original show as a writer and co-executive producer. The spinoff will also be overseen by Scott M. Gimple, who holds the title of chief content officer for The Walking Dead Universe. Cohan and Morgan are also set to serve as executive producers on the series.
Based on the comic series of the same name, The Walking Dead follows the story of a group of survivors in the aftermath of a zombie apocalypse. The series began airing on AMC in 2010 and has routinely been one of the network's highest viewed shows. Isle of the Dead will be the fifth spinoff of The Walking Dead. In 2015, the first spinoff set in the universe, Fear the Walking Dead, premiered and was recently announced to be getting a season 8. The second spinoff, The Walking Dead: World Beyond, aired its final season last year after being originally planned to only have two seasons. This year is set to see the premiere of a third spinoff, an anthology series called Tales of the Walking Dead. The fourth spinoff is a currently untitled spinoff focusing on the fan-favorite characters of Daryl and Carol, played by Norman Reedus and Melissa McBride, respectively, that is expected to premiere in 2023 along with Isle of the Dead.
Dan McDermott, president of entertainment and AMC Studios for AMC Networks, gave the following statement when announcing the new series:
“This is a very big day for the expanding universe we are building around The Walking Dead. It not only adds another compelling series to this collection, it extends our storytelling around two unforgettable characters fans have grown to love, hate or hate and then love in Maggie and Negan, brilliantly inhabited by Lauren and Jeffrey. It also lets us explore a corner of this universe located on the island of Manhattan, with an iconic skyline that takes on a very different meaning when viewed through the lens of a zombie apocalypse.”
Gimple added on the statement by saying:
“Eli has created a chaotic, beautiful, grimy madhouse of the dead for Negan, Maggie, and fans of the show eager to discover an unseen and insane world of the TWD Universe. Lauren and Jeffrey have always been fantastic collaborators and now, we bring that collaboration to the next level with a series that will take these characters to their limits with the world — and each other. All of us are thrilled to take you on an all-new, all different TWD epic for the ages.”
Cohan, who has played Maggie since Season 2, had this to say of the spinoff:
“I’m thrilled to partner with Dan McDermott and the team at AMC on the next chapter in The Walking Dead Universe. Maggie is very close to my heart and I’m excited to continue her journey against the iconic backdrop of New York City, alongside my friend and collaborator, Jeffrey Dean Morgan. Eli Jorné has created something incredibly special and I cannot wait for the fans to see what we have in store for Maggie and Negan.”
Morgan, who joined the series in Season 6 as the fan-favorite villain from the comics, added:
“I’m delighted that Negan and Maggie’s journey continues. It’s been such a ride walking in Negan’s shoes, I’m beyond excited to continue his journey in New York City with Lauren. Walkers in an urban setting has always been such a cool image, but 5th Avenue, Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty? The greatest city in the world?? The backdrop is amazing, but it’s the story that Eli Jorné cooked up that is even better. Buckle up folks, Isle of the Dead is going to reinvent the TWD Universe. Huge thank you to Dan McDermott, Scott Gimple and AMC for having us back for more… we simply can’t wait.”
Stay tuned to Collider for any further updates on Isle of the Dead and check out the teaser poster below.
