AMC’s The Walking Dead will be bringing back three fan-favorite characters for the upcoming ninth season.
Showrunner Angela Kang revealed the details at the show’s New York Comic Con panel on Saturday, confirming Shane (Jon Bernthal), Hershel (Scott Wilson) and Sasha (Sonequa Martin-Green) would be making appearances despite their characters being dead.
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Kang, a writer on the series since Season 2, took over from Scott Gimple for what promises to be a landmark season, with Andrew Lincoln’s Rick and Lauren Cohan’s Maggie departing. Their departures could be tied to the returning characters via flashbacks, as Shane and Rick shared a strong friendship which turned sour, and Maggie was, of course, Hershel’s daughter.
It remains to be seen how Sasha factors in, although Rick did act as a mentor for her and she was also Maggie’s close friend and close confidant. There’s also the possibility any one, or all three, could feature in a dream sequence, as we don’t know for sure if Rick and/or Maggie will be killed off, with the show’s creative team doing a good job to keep everything under wraps.
Unfortunately, not long after the casting announcements were made, news came out regarding the passing of Wilson, who died at 76 after battling leukemia. The actor filmed his scenes for the upcoming season prior to his death.
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The Walking Dead stars Andrew Lincoln, Norman Reedus, Lauren Cohan, Danai Gurira, Melissa McBride, Lennie James, Alanna Masterson, Josh McDermitt, Christian Serratos, and Jeffrey Dean Morgan. The series returns for its ninth season Sunday, Oct. 7, at 9 p.m. ET/PT on AMC.