It’s finally official, Walking Dead fans; the dead will be walking bicoastally. Months after its initial announcement, AMC has picked up the spin-off, committing to two seasons. Much like the series it is spawned from, the first year will test the waters with only six episodes. The second season is slated for a 2016 release.
The working title is Fear the Walking Dead, though we’re still waiting on confirmation there. The show will star Kim Dickens (Gone Girl, Sons of Anarchy), Cliff Curtis (Live Free of Die Hard), Alycia Debnam-Carey (Into the Storm) and Frank Dillane (Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince). The series is set to take place in Los Angeles.
The Walking Dead creative team, consisting of Robert Kirkman, Gale Anne Hurd, Greg Nicotero, and David Alpert will produce the series. Dave Erickson, who co-created and co-wrote the pilot with Kirkman, will take on the roll of showrunner.
Earlier this year it was reported that the new companion series would feature two small families. Dickens will lead the series in her role as Nancy Thompson, “A thirtysomething single mom to two kids, Nancy looks like the girl next door, but there’s an edge to her.” Other characters include her children, a father and son, and a single woman.
SEAN CABRERA | A Latino male in his early 40s, Sean is a good man trying to do right by everyone in his life.
CODY CABRERA | Sean’s whip-smart and rebellious teenage son. Known as the angriest kid in town.
NANCY TOMPKINS | A thirtysomething single mom to two kids, Nancy looks like the girl next door, but there’s an edge to her.
NICK TOMPKINS | Nancy’s screwed up teenage son. He’s too old to stay home, too scared to flee.
ASHLEY TOMPKINS | Nancy’s mostly level-headed teenage daughter. Her ambition is in direct proportion to her older brother’s failures. She loves her mom but it’s time to get out of Dodge.
ANDREA CHAPMAN | A somewhat wilted flower child, fortysomething Andrea — yep, another Andrea! — has retreated to the outskirts of the city to recover after a horrible marriage
The new show will carry on the tradition of putting the more realistic human drama at the forefront, with the global apocalypse as its back drop. There has already been some talk that the Dickens and Curtis characters are in, or will be in a relationship, making the cast one big family.
Moving away from the more wild sights of rural Georgia audiences have grown used to, the shift to a west coast city like Los Angles means we are likely going to be back in the big city, and the body count will be steller. This will be different for more reasons than scenery though. In Atlanta we found a cast that included survivalist type Darrell Dixon, a stereotypical southern hunter who has been a key member of our group of survivors. How will an L.A. mom and her kids fare, being from a culture that is far less likely to be prepared for survival? Audiences will find out this summer.
Are you excited to walk with a new cast of characters? Will our new cast find out more about the truth behind the outbreak? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Images: AMC, Warner Bros.
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