‘Isle of the Dead’: AMC Announce New ‘Walking Dead’ Spin-Off With Maggie & Negan
And ‘The Walking Dead’ universe just keeps expanding, as AMC announces ‘Isle of the Dead‘, a new spin-off which sees Maggie and Negan characters travelling into a post-apocalyptic Manhattan.
Lauren Cohan and Jeffrey Dean Morgan will reprise their roles for the series that sees the unlikely duo head into 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.
“This is a very big day for the expanding universe we are building around The Walking Dead,” said Dan McDermott, president of entertainment and AMC Studios for AMC Networks. “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.”
Set to premiere on AMC+ and AMC in the USA in 2023, the first season will consist of six episodes. No news on where it may land in the UK yet. Eli Jorné, who has been a writer and co-executive producer on ‘The Walking Dead’ for multiple seasons and has an overall deal with AMC Studios, will serve as showrunner and executive producer on the series, which is overseen by Scott M. Gimple, chief content officer of The Walking Dead Universe. Cohan and Morgan will also serve as executive producers.
“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,” adds Gimple. “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.”
Maggie and Negan, it would be fair to say, have had their differences on the show… Mainly due to Maggie’s beloved Glen meeting a gruesome end at the hands of “Lucille”, Negan’s baseball bat. Negan was last seen walking off into the woods to avoid the wrath of a recently returned Maggie, whilst Maggie is holding down the fort at Alexandra.
“I’m thrilled to partner with Dan McDermott and the team at AMC on the next chapter in The Walking Dead Universe,” commented Cohan. “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 adds “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.”
Despite a drop in live viewing figures and people predicting the show’s demise, ‘The Walking Dead’ and other series in The Walking Dead Universe continue to be top titles on the AMC+ streaming service, both in terms of usage and new subscriber acquisitions. Whilst the main show is due to end this Autumn, ‘Fear The Walking Dead’ is still going strong, plus there is also the new ‘Tales of the Walking Dead’ anthology series, the “Carol & Daryl” spin-off and the long-awaited “Rick Grimes” films to come. This franchise is not dying anytime soon!
‘Isle of the Dead‘ will air on AMC & AMC+ in the USA in 2023. We don’t know where it’ll land in the UK. Could be the AMC UK channel, but could easily be somewhere else too. If you want to keep track of this or any other shows, you can add it via our Never Miss system, and you’ll be notified when they get a UK premiere date.
