As someone who has watched The Walking Dead for more than a decade, I have seen the rise of new shows. I remember when Fear the Walking Dead first released, when The Walking Dead: World Beyond came out, and when a plethora of new The Walking Dead shows taking place in the walker-universe began to be announced. One of those just happens to be Dead City.
The Walking Dead spinoff was announced in March 2022, and since then has been building up quite the reputation for itself, from cast announcements to what the show might have in store. Originally, the series was called Isle of the Dead, but in August 2022 according to the official The Walking Dead Twitter page, the series title was changed to Dead City.
For those who are wondering exactly what is going to happen in Dead City, here are eight quick things that we know about the upcoming show.
Dead City Is Set To Premiere In April 2023
While Dead City won’t be premiering on any 2022 TV schedule, we won’t have to wait long for this new series to arrive. According to the initial announcement, Dead City is set to premiere sometime in 2023 on both AMC and AMC+, and then during New York Comic Con in 2022, it was said that the series is going to premiere sometime in April 2023, via Deadline.
We don’t have an exact premiere date yet, but hopefully it won’t be too long before we get to see two of our favorite characters come together to travel to a new place we’ve never seen before in The Walking Dead world. With another new spinoff already out, called Tales of the Walking Dead, and several more on the way, it makes sense that the next series would come out the year after the original The Walking Dead has ended.
Both Lauren Cohan And Jeffrey Dean Morgan Will Be Back As Maggie And Negan
Another piece of news that came with the initial announcement of Isle of the Dead is that both Maggie and Negan, played by Lauren Cohan and Jeffrey Dean Morgan, would be returning as their legendary characters from The Walking Dead to star in Dead City.
As someone who is a fan of both of their characters, I am so excited to see what this means going forward. Maggie, who was absent for a good part of Seasons 9 and 10, is finally back and acting as badass as ever. Negan, who has gone from one of TV’s most brutal villains to a great antihero, has become a Walking Dead fan favorite. And with their interesting dynamic in The Walking Dead, I’m eager to see how they will interact in their own spinoff.
Dead City Will Also Star Gaius Charles
There haven’t been that many casting announcements for Dead City so far besides Maggie and Negan returning, but that doesn't mean there haven't been any at all. According to Deadline, Gaius Charles, known primarily for his roles in Friday Night Lights and Grey’s Anatomy, has signed on to Dead City.
The article describes Charles' character as Perlie Armstong, an antagonist of the show with a ruthless side that he will use to achieve his grand goals. He is married and has a daughter, and will do anything to keep them safe and build a world for them.
The Walking Dead had some awesome villains over the course of its eleven-season run, and honestly, I’ve always been a huge fan of the more ruthless ones, so I’m eager to see exactly what Charles is going to bring to the table when he gets to play Perlie.
Besides that, no other major cast members have been announced, but I’m sure that it’s only a matter of time before we get to hear more updates about this anticipated show.
Dead City Will Take Place In A Post-Apocalyptic Manhattan
As someone who grew up in New York and has seen so many movies and TV shows set in New York City, I am so happy to hear that Dead City will take place in post-apocalyptic Manhattan.
The series, as described by AMC, will follow Maggie and Negan traveling to the legendary city that has been cut off from the mainland and is completely overrun by walkers - as well the evil people who turn their lives upside down.
Why exactly they are traveling there, I’m not sure, but maybe later on in the last episodes of The Walking Dead series, we might get an explanation.
Dead City Is Currently Filming As Of October 2022
The Deadline piece above confirmed that filming has been ongoing for Dead City. It began at some point during the summer – as fans saw at San Diego Comic-Con – but as of October 2022, the show is still in production. There were also some first looks that were featured at NYC Comic Con that showed our protagonists, but nothing else has come out since then.
Jeffrey Dean Morgan Says The Show Will “Blow People’s Minds”
Jeffrey Dean Morgan has starred in several movies and TV shows and has seen many scripts. But, I have to admit, his excitement for the upcoming series gets me more excited than any other show he’s done before.
On Twitter, Morgan said that he had seen the scripts for the upcoming spinoff series, and that what they have planned will “blow people’s minds”:
Here’s what I’ll say about #isleofthedead I’m BEYOND excited. Thrilled to continue this TWD journey as Negan. I can’t tell you how excited I am to be working with @LaurenCohan. We’ve read the season, it’s gonna blow your minds.
The tweet was written before the name was changed to Dead City, but the excitement still stands.
What exactly that tweet means, I’m not sure, but it surely has me feeling anxious and wanting this series to arrive sooner rather than later. I hope that’s not code for someone in the show possibly getting their head blown off - I certainly don’t need any more heartbreaking The Walking Dead deaths in this series.
During New York Comic Con in 2022, The Walking Dead’s official Twitter page shared a post on Twitter with their followers featuring Cohan and Morgan, saying that they were proud of the series and that they think the fans are going to love it too, so I am even more excited to see a possible trailer for this show.
Maggie And Negan Are Going To Be Facing Their Toughest Battles In Dead City
In Dead City, one can only wonder what on earth is going to cause Maggie and Negan, of all people, to come together and travel to New York City. I’m sure that as the last episodes of The Walking Dead come out, we’ll get some sort of answer to that, but Cohan was quick to say that the premise itself is what makes the show so good.
At New York Comic Con, via Comicbook, Cohan teased the story of the show, saying it would be the hardest situation for the two leads.
The most unlikely two people that you would want to see together. And it makes it very good to see us together, because it is the hardest situation that Maggie and Negan both have to be in. The need is bigger than the fear.
That makes me wonder what could possibly be harder than what they have gone through on The Walking Dead, but I’m sure we’ll get some sort of reveal soon. Or a hint. I’m so eager to find out.
Dead City Could Potentially Be More Than One Season
As I said before, there are many spinoffs that have been announced, most of which have ended up being two seasons (The Walking Dead: World Beyond) or one season (Tales of the Walking Dead), so far. However, I have a theory that Dead City could potentially be more than one season.
When AMC revealed the series, it noted that the “first season” would consist of six-episodes. This could mean that if Dead City ends up being popular enough, we might just get the chance to see Negan and Maggie in Manhattan for longer. Now that sounds like something I’d be down for.
These characters have been in my life for many years, and while I’m bittersweet about The Walking Dead coming to an end, and all my favorites going in different directions, I’m eager to see what the future holds for this universe. And that includes Dead City.
