RIP Isle of the Dead. Not the show, which stars Walking Dead alums Lauren Cohan as Maggie and Jeffrey Dean Morgan as fan favorite Negan, but the title.
The show was announced in March and is currently filming, but apparently, the old title no longer fits, according to Entertainment Weekly. The show is now called The Walking Dead: Dead City, which I guess a dead city is much cooler than a dead island? Either way, it’s still based in New York City.
AMC previously described the new show by saying it “envisions the popular Maggie and Negan characters traveling into a post-apocalyptic 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.”
When the series was first announced, Cohen said she was understandably very excited about the prospect of the spinoff show.
“I’m thrilled to partner with Dan McDermott and the team at AMC on the next chapter in The Walking Dead Universe. 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.”
Jeffrey Dean Morgan said he was “delighted” that he gets to continue to explore the relationship between Negan and Maggie.
“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.”
We don’t know how the relationship between the two will play out, but Negan 100 percent murdered Maggie’s husband, so it’s probably not friendly – at least not initially. It will be interesting to see what happens at the end of the run of the original show because they have to get to New York City together somehow.
Cohen and Morgan are co-executive producers on the show, along with showrunner Jorné. Walking Dead chief content officer, Scott M. Gimple, is overseeing the production. The Walking Dead: Dead City is just one of six spinoffs in the Walking Dead universe, something that illustrates AMC’s desire to keep the franchise alive despite the flagship show going away this year.
The Walking Dead: Dead City will premiere sometime in 2023. We’ll let you know when we hear anything more concrete.