With a majority of its cast set to undergo contract negotiations ahead of the previously announced Season 9, The Walking Dead could be losing yet another cast member.
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According to Deadline, actor Lauren Cohan, who has played Maggie Greene since Season 2 of the hit AMC series, could be set to leave the show if Cohan and the network are unable to come to terms during her contract renegotiation. It’s said that Cohan originally sought equal pay with her male co-stars, Andrew Lincoln and Norman Reedus, who are undoubtedly the leads of the zombie series, but that AMC had instead opted to give her a “modest salary increase” along with a multi-year contract. As it stands, talks are at a standstill between the two and Cohan is currently entertaining various pilot offers given she’s “contractually free” to do so.
It’s unknown just which projects Cohan has been offered, however, the report indicates that the actress has received offers from multiple television networks with nearly half-a-dozen pilot offers thus far. Why should this matter to fans of The Walking Dead? As the actress entertains pilot offers, having taken various meetings already, it would imply that she may not sign a new contract to return as Maggie on The Walking Dead. Of course, just because she’s entertaining pilot offers, it doesn’t mean Cohan will walk from the AMC drama. Talks are said to still be underway between the two, although AMC hasn’t offered up another proposition for the actress just yet; while Cohan has yet to sign on, both Lincoln and Reedus have reportedly committed to returning for the ninth season.
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The Walking Dead returns Feb. 25 at 9 p.m. on AMC. The show stars Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes, Norman Reedus as Daryl Dixon, Lauren Cohan as Maggie Rhee, Chandler Riggs as Carl Grimes, Danai Gurira as Michonne, Melissa McBride as Carol Peletier, Lennie James as Morgan Jones, Alanna Masterson as Tara Chambler, Josh McDermitt as Eugene Porter, Christian Serratos as Rosita Espinosa and Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Negan.