Ever since it was announced in 2022 that Maggie and Negan would be getting their own TWD spin-off series, The Walking Dead Dead City, updates about its cast and story have built palpable anticipation. As the release date for Dead City shambles nearer, trailers showcasing Negan and Maggie's horror-laced journey into post-apocalyptic New York created a buzz online, and it's easy to see why this The Walking Dead spin-off could renew interest in the franchise after the conclusion of season 11. Loosely based on the characters from Image Comics, The Walking Dead: Dead City is the fourth spin-off in The Walking Dead franchise, which sees Maggie Rhee (Lauren Cohan) and Negan Smith (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) head into Manhattan to find Maggie's son, Hershel (Logan Kim).
Created by Eli Jorné, The Walking Dead: Dead City will continue to delve deeper into the tense relationship that Maggie and Negan had in The Walking Dead. Although Maggie and Negan called a truce in season 11 of The Walking Dead, the spinoff will show that there is still a lot of resentment between the two as Maggie struggles with the idea that she may lose Hershel like she did Glenn (her husband, who was played by Steven Yeun). Given that Negan was killed off in the comics, it's clear that The Walking Dead: Dead City writers will also add their own artistic liberties to keep storylines unpredictable and fresh. It's also been clear from what's been seen of The Walking Dead: Dead City so far that this particular spin-off will ramp up some of the horror aspects of the franchise like never before.
The Walking Dead: Dead City's Latest News
The most recent Walking DeadL Dead City updates come thanks to comments by both Lauren Cohan and Jeffrey Dean Morgan about their characters in the new spinoff series. The two were speaking about the new show in a recent interview and commented that they are a long way from becoming friends. When the main series ended, Maggie told Negan she would never forgive him for killing Glenn, but they were okay when it came to them co-existing in the same world. "I think there may be some, like shared purpose or mutual benefit," Cohan revealed in an interview, although she emphasized there is no friendship.
Jeffrey Dean Morgan agreed with that assessment. "I think there’s some understanding that happens, I wouldn’t say that they’re ever going to be friendly. I think we’re three seasons away from that. Yeah. [laughs] Three, four." That leads to another bit of news, and that is that Cohan believes that the show could last several seasons, although they will have to wait to see the fans' reaction to the first season of the show. When it comes to the new show, Cohan predicted they could pull out five seasons of The Walking Dead: Dead City.
The Walking Dead: Dead City Release Date
After The Walking Dead aired its final episode in November 2022, there was much speculation as to when the Maggie and Negan spinoff would be released. Since production began in March 2022 (and was eventually concluded in October), many speculated that it would arrive in late 2023/early 2024 to give production a chance to work on the special effects. However, the show's Twitter quickly dispelled those rumors by announcing that the official release date for The Walking Dead: Dead City is June 18, 2023. However, there has been a change to the time that the show will air, as it will now premiere at 9/8c on 06/18/23, rather than 10/9c as originally planned.
The Walking Dead: Dead City's Cast
Along with Lauren Cohan and Jeffrey Dean Morgan Screen Rant). He will be causing trouble for Maggie and Negan as he is determined to bring Negan to justice for the crimes he has committed. Perle is also described as a devoted family man who will do anything to make sure that the future is safe for him and his family.
Another character that is set to cause trouble for Negan and Maggie is Željko Ivanek's "The Croat". This new TWD villain is described by The Walking Dead: Dead City stars to have a close connection to Negan. Logan Kim will also be making his debut in The Walking Dead spinoff, playing Maggie's son, Hershel (he has taken over the role from Kien Michael Spiller, who played him in seasons 10 and 11 in the main show).
Dead City's ing cast also includes Mahina Napoleon, Jonathan Higginbotham, Michael Anthony, and Trey Santiago-Hudson, who will be playing Ginny, Tommaso, Luther, and Jano. As revealed in The Walking Dead: Dead City trailer, Lisa Emery had ed the cast too and will have an important connection with Morgan's Negan.
The Walking Dead: Dead City's Story Details
Set many years after The Walking Dead season 11 finale, the Maggie & Negan-centric spinoff sees the two characters reunite for another dangerous adventure as they are forced to go to Manhattan to find Maggie's son, Hershel, who has been kidnapped in a raid. From the trailer, it's quite clear that the rules in Manhattan are extremely different to Alexandria and the Commonwealth as the residents appear to be living under a dictatorship and living in fear of The Croat and his band of mercenaries.
While the pair do make some allies as they travel across Manhattan, Negan and Maggie also make a few enemies, such as Marshall Perle Armstrong, who is tracking their every move as he wants to bring Negan to justice. He isn't the only one keeping a close eye on the former adversaries either as The Croat and Lisa Emery's mysterious characters have a history with Negan and are desperate for a reunion. Whether Maggie will keep her promise to help Negan after she retrieves Hershel is up for debate.
In more Walking Dead Dead City updates, creator and showrunner Eli Jorné said that Glenn's death will influence what happens in this new series. While The Walking Dead finale had Maggie come to grips with Negan's existence, she said she would never forgive him for taking Geann away. For his part, Negan said he felt the most remorse for leaving Maggie and young Hershel without Glenn in their lives. Jorné said in an interview that the show will tackle the stories of difficult forgiveness.
"When Glenn was killed, that was hard, obviously, when it's a beloved character who dies. But to me, the flip side of that was that this universe is going to tell the story of what happens when you lose someone that way. Not just for the person who lost him, but the person who did it."
This is not new territory for Jorné either, as he wrote the "What It Always Is" and "Walk With Us" episodes in the regular series, which were Negan-centric. The showrunner also said he researched a real-life case concerning this story. He learned about a mother who wrote the teenager who murdered her child to connect with him. "Over time, they formed this relationship, and for her, that relationship with her son's murderer became the only path out." He said that with Negan and Maggie, the only way through the pain is through each other.
The Walking Dead: Dead City Could Connect To Other Spinoffs
So far, there has been no confirmation whether any other characters from the Walking Dead franchise could make an appearance in Dead City. However, given that the spinoffs are all connected in some form or another, there is a high chance that a few stars, such as Andrew Lincoln's Rick and Danai Gurira's Michonne, could make a few appearances (even if it is in a brief cameo). In several interviews, Morgan has already talked about Dead City potentially crossing over with other Walking Dead spinoffs, so it does seem like the writers are considering it.
The Walking Dead: Dead City Trailer
On May 11, 2023, the official trailer for The Walking Dead: Dead City was released, providing fans with a glimpse of the events to come. In the opening scene, the camera shows Maggie and Negan driving a small boat toward a post-apocalyptic Manhattan, with the next scene showing how the borough has been overrun by zombies. Following this shot, the trailer then shows Maggie telling Negan about Hershel's kidnapping before it cuts to a Gaius Charles' Perle asking around for the anti-hero.
While also working through their issues, The Walking Dead: Dead City trailer also hints that Maggie and Negan could find themselves in the middle of a civil war as the residents of Manhattan are planning to attack The Coates and his group in an attempt to save their homes from their tyranny. To top it all off, the trailer then reveals that The Walking Dead: Dead City will introduce several new zombie variants, which look to be even more dangerous than the ones they had previously fought before. From what the viewers can see, the mission to save Hershel will be no easy feat.
