It isn’t an exact match, but the simple way of explaining the Thunderbolts is that they’re Marvel’s version of ‘The Suicide Squad‘: a group of villains –– or at least anti-heroes –– brought together by third-party schemers in a possibly ill-advised attempt to turn them into a force for good.
In Marvel’s case, they were originally assembled by Baron Zemo and the Masters Of Evil and have sometimes been linked to Hulk regular General Thaddeus ‘Thunderbolt’ Ross (hence the name). They made their debut in the pages of ‘The Incredible Hulk’ in 1996, introduced by writer and artist team Peter David and Mike Deodato. They continued to their own series the same year, created by Kurt Busiek and Mark Bagley, and have been brought back with a bunch of alternative line-ups in comics ever since.
David Harbour from ‘Thunderbolts’ at D23 Expo 2022.
We know (most of) the characters who will be showing up, since they were announced back in 2022 at Disney’s D23 event: Bucky Barnes (formerly The Winter Soldier), played by Sebastian Stan, is a key figure alongside Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova, Olga Kurylenko’s Antonia Dreykov/Taskmaster and David Harbour’s Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian, those three having been introduced in ‘Black Widow’.
Then there’s John Walker, AKA US Agent, played by Wyatt Russell and first seen in ‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’ and Hannah John-Kamen’s Ava Starr, the phasing character known as Ghost, who debuted in ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp’.
As for those overseeing the team, we have Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, AKA Val, played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus, who was also introduced in the ‘Falcon’ series and has since cropped up in the likes of ‘Black Widow’ and ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’. We also have Thaddeus Ross –– last seen in ‘Black Widow’ and played since ‘The Incredible Hulk’ by William Hurt. But because of the actor’s death in 2022, Marvel has had to recast the role, tapping genre icon Harrison Ford to take over.
Ross is reportedly the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s current President of the US (at least in ‘Captain America: New World Order’) so that’ll likely factor in. And ‘The Bear’s Ayo Edebiri is aboard in an unknown role.
Who is making ‘Thunderbolts’?
Jake Schreier (who worked with Yeun on ‘Beef’) is directing the film based on a script by Eric Pearson and Lee Sung Jin.
Production is scheduled to kick off in March, with the movie scheduled for July 25th, 2025.
(L to R) Melissa McBride and Norman Reedus on ‘The Walking Dead.’ Photo: Jace Downs/AMC.
Preview
AMC confirmed that Melissa McBride is officially joining ‘The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon’ for Season 2.
The new season will be called ‘The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon –– The Book of Carol’.
The first teaser for the Andrew Lincoln/Danai Gurira-starring ‘The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live’ was unveiled.
The original show might have shuffled off like a walker into the televisual sunset, but the universe of ‘The Walking Dead’ is more than healthy, with plenty of spin-offs either already aired (‘The Walking Dead: Dead City’), in progress (‘The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon’) or on the way (‘The Walking Dead: Those Who Live’).
And AMC chose this year’s New York City Comic-Con to drop some fresh news about two of those series.
First up, we have ‘The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon’.
Is Melissa McBride returning as Carol for ‘The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon’?
Melissa McBride on ‘The Walking Dead.’ Photo: AMC.
Good news for Carol/Daryl “shippers”, Melissa McBride will indeed be back as Carol Peletier for Season 2 on ‘The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon’.
McBride, who played the character for 11 seasons on the main show, was originally going to return for the spin-off, but fans were dismayed to learn that she wouldn’t be making it across to Europe for the series, citing scheduling clashes and a desire to take a break from zombie worries.
Here’s what McBride said in a statement about the news:
“I’ve known there was much more to be told of Carol’s story as I felt her so unsettled when we last saw her, as she watched her best friend, Daryl, ride away. Apart or (hopefully!) together, their stories run deep, and I’m so excited to continue Carol’s journey here. This team of storytellers have done amazing work to land these two established characters in an entirely new world to them, and I’m loving the discoveries!”
What’s the story of ‘The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon’?
Norman Reedus as Daryl Dixon in ‘The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon.’ Photo Credit: Emmanuel Guimier/AMC.
The six-episode spin-off series finds Daryl (Norman Reedus) fighting his way through a walker infested and deadly divided L’hexagone in France to protect a child who many believe could save the world.
From the sounds of it, he will make it back for the second season, which is now titled ‘The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon –– The Book of Carol’ set to debut in 2024.
First teaser for ‘The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live’
Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes in ‘The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live.’ Photo Credit: Gene Page/AMC.
If there is an even more anticipated bit of ‘Walking Dead’ news, it would be anything about the Andrew Lincoln and Danai Gurira-starring ‘The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live’.
The spin-off is described as an epic love story of two characters changed by a changed world. Rick and Michonne are thrown into another world, built on a war against the dead… and ultimately, a war against the living.
Can they find each other and who they were in a place and situation unlike any they’ve ever known before? Are they enemies? Lovers? Victims? Victors? Without each other, are they even alive — or will they find that they, too, are the Walking Dead?
Or, if we’re being snarky, was the real Walking Dead the decomposing friends they made along the way?
This first look is certainly dramatic and has some flashes of action, but we’ll surely see more ahead of the show’s February 2024 premiere.
Who else is in ‘The Waking Dead: The Ones Who Live’?
Danai Gurira as Michonne in ‘The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live.’ Photo Credit: Gene Page/AMC.
The consequences of the studios and other big companies that make up the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) not negotiating in good faith with writers and actors are continuing to be felt.
We already learned that Disney and Marvel have been juggling their schedules for big screen output to accommodate films that are delayed due to the strikes (or completed projects for which they want talent to be available to promote).
Yet that is also having a knock-on effect on the various Disney+ series that the superhero-focused studio produces. Which is hardly surprising given the deep intersections between Marvel’s movie and TV output (and the fact that the shows are also seeing delays due to writer and actor availability).
Animated series ‘What If…?’, which explores variations on characters and stories, has a second season ready to go, but will now launch in December this year (an exact date has yet to be announced).
‘Hawkeye’ spin-off ‘Echo’, based around Alaqua Cox‘s deaf Native American character, is shifting from November to January, while ‘X-Men ‘97’, a revival of the 1990s animated show, will fly from this fall to early next year.
Perhaps the biggest move underway is for the series currently known as ‘Agatha: Darkhold Diaries’ (formerly ‘Agatha: House of Harkness’ and then ‘Agatha: Coven of Chaos’), now shifting to next fall, likely (probably a smart move) to arrive around Halloween 2024.
As for shows that were still in production (or post-production)? The likes of ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ and ‘Wonder Man‘ will have to wait to gear up shooting again, while ‘Ironheart’ (featuring Dominique Thorne’s Riri Williams, first introduced in ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’), is stuck in post-production limbo, and does not currently have a launch slot.
‘Loki’s second season is still on track to launch on Disney+ on October 6th.
Marvel is no doubt figuring that the show –– which is still the most successful of the small screen MCU offerings –– will effectively sell itself. And it also doesn’t want to have the fall completely empty.
‘Loki’ picks up the story of the title character’s (Tom Hiddleston) journey around the multiverse, figuring out what is wrong with time and encountering variant versions of himself. Owen Wilson and Sophia Di Martino star in the series, with Ke Huy Quan a big guest star in this second season.
AMC scores waiver
Norman Reedus as Daryl Dixon in AMC’s ‘The Walking Dead.’
It’s not all bad news for those who produce TV series (and movies). Many independent productions have secured waivers to keep shooting or to promote their projects.
Perhaps the highest profile of recent examples is AMC, which is behind shows such as the mammoth ‘Walking Dead’ franchise and ‘Mayfair Witches’.
It might surprise you to learn that AMC Networks, whose AMC Studios produces most of its shows, is not an AMPTP member but is an “authorized” by the alliance, meaning AMC agrees to abide by any contracts between the AMPTP and industry unions such as the WGA or SAG-AFTRA.
The recent waiver from SAG-AFTRA (the union representing actors, which is currently on strike) means that three shows can continue work.
(L t R) Danai Gurira as Michonne, and Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes in AMC’s ‘The Walking Dead.’
‘Walking Dead’ spin-off ‘The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon’ (surely self-explanatory for fans) can resume production while ‘The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live’ (which sees the return of Andrew Lincoln’s Rick Grimes and Danai Gurira’s Michonne to the franchise) finished shooting before the strike but can have the cast head to the studio for post-production work such as additional dialogue recording.
Anne Rice adaptation ‘Interview With the Vampire’ will return to shooting in Prague after shutting down when the actors’ strike started. No other AMC shows are currently included under the waiver.
(L to R) Lee Sung Jin, Ali Wong and Steven Yeun attend Netflix’s Los Angeles premiere of ‘BEEF’ at Netflix Tudum Theater on March 30, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Netflix.
‘Beef’, the upcoming Netflix series is wild, dramatic, and takes revenge to the next level. The series starring Steven Yeun and Ali Wong arrives on Netflix on April 6th.
The official synopsis for ‘Beef’ is: “A road rage incident between two strangers – a failing contractor and an unfulfilled entrepreneur – sparks a feud that brings out their darkest impulses.”
The series is created by writer/producer Lee Sung Jin whose writing credits include ‘It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia’ and ‘2 Broke Girls’. It first premiered at the 2023 SXSW Festival on March 18th and will have 10 episodes in total.
‘Beef’ stars Steven Yeun as Danny and Ali Wong as Amy. Series regulars include David Choe as Isaac, Young Mazino as Paul, Joseph Lee as George, and Patti Yasutake as Fumi.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of attending the virtual press conference for ‘Beef’. In attendance were Steven Yeun, Ali Wong, and creator Lee Sung Jin.alway
(L to R) Lee Sung Jin, Ali Wong and Steven Yeun attend Netflix’s Los Angeles premiere of ‘BEEF’ at Netflix Tudum Theater on March 30, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Netflix.
Here are the 10 things we learned from the ‘Beef’ virtual press conference:
1. The Stars’ Initial Reaction To The Script For ‘Beef’
To kick off the press conference, Ali Wong spoke about her reaction when reading the script.
Ali Wong: Well, when I read the script, honestly, I was like, this is exactly what we pitched. So there weren’t a lot of surprises. It was more like when he pitched me the idea to begin with, which was very close to the pilot, I was… Yeah, I was blown away and I was like, that sounds scary, but really exciting, and I think I can do it.
Speaking about what blew her away about it:
“I think the thriller element. There’s like, I just haven’t done anything like that before, and just as the show has progressed too, I mean, that just comes out more and more where it’s like, it’s so suspenseful and I’m reading, just reading every page right away, just with so much anticipation and always, I never knew it was going to happen. Sometimes I knew what was going to happen because we talked about it, of course, but in the ways that it happened, it always surprised me, so.”
Steven Yeun also spoke on his initial reaction on hearing the pitch for the series.
Steven Yeun: Well, when Sonny called me about just, we were just chatting a random conversation. He was like, “Hey, I have this idea for a road rage thing.” I was like, oh, that’s it. And it was as simple as that. But then for me, it wasn’t a surprise, but what was really exciting was to get the scripts and then see the dialogue and just what Sonny wrote. You’re just like, yeah, you have an idea of where the plot’s going to go. But then you read the dialogue and you’re like, ”Wow, this feels so real.”. It’s such easy but difficult vernacular that you’re almost, it’s written in a way where it was like, oh, Sonny was there in the room as a fly on the wall, and he overheard those conversations and he wrote it that way. And it’s like when you get dialogue like that for me, I’m just like, oh, this is going to be so fun.
2. The Series Was Inspired By A Real Life Incident
Creator Lee Sung Jin was involved in a real-life road rage incident that inspired the script.
Lee Sung Jin: It was a typical road rage thing where the light turned green and I didn’t go fast enough. And it was also a white SUV, it was a BMW though. And yeah, honked at me, said a bunch of things and raced off. And for some reason that day, I was like, “I’ll follow you.” And didn’t really have a plan in my mind. I was justifying it like I’m just following, I’m on my way home and I happen to be behind you. And I’m sure for that person, it felt like I was tracking him the whole run of the 10 highway. And so I thought there was something there about people who were very stuck in their subjective views of reality, and they’re projecting assumptions onto the other person, and that was the kernel of the idea. So I’m very, very thankful for that incident.
The actress talks about parts of Amy’s journey that resonate with her, exploring topics that impact Asian women who are career driven.
Ali Wong: I mean, I think that feeling like in the pilot when she’s receiving all those texts and she’s like, “Make it stop.” You know that feeling where it’s like everything’s going wrong. The lint in the dryer, you forgot to clean it, so it’s like the dryer almost caused a fire in the house. There’s a mouse running around in the garage that’s eating all the Halloween candy. There’s like… You haven’t paid that bill for dental cleaning or whatever. And it’s like, it just is all piled on, and you’re like, I have no time to enjoy the things that I’ve worked really hard for. I mean, I think we all have moments like that. So yeah. But I don’t know if catharsis is the word, I think. It was more like the friendships we developed off-camera really provided a lot of catharsis, but really the actual work of this was really wonderful and fulfilling, and it was really challenging too.
4. Steven Yeun Makes The Switch From Dramatic Roles To Comedic Roles
The actor is known for acting in dramatic roles such as Glenn in ‘The Walking Dead’ or Jacob in ‘Minari’, and is taking a more comedic route in ‘Beef’.
Steven Yeun: It was weird because it didn’t feel like a switch. Meaning, Danny is just, like to play the comedy of Danny is to just lean into the unfortunate drama of his life. So it felt like being in it and out of it at the same time. That’s where the shame part came in, where I was just like, ‘Oh, I’m watching Danny go through this thing.” And it’s like, how do I not bail on him? All the time, I’m just judging him, judging him, judging him, cringing or not trying to make him make sense, but then you’ve got to make him make sense. And that was a challenge. That was every day, I think I told [Sonny], I was like, “Why are you making me do this?”
5. Balancing Storytelling Between Comedy And Drama
Creator Lee Sung Jin talks about how much the writer’s room helped with the progression of the show.
Lee Sung Jin: Oh, man. I don’t know. Just kind of stumbling about. Yeah, the writing’s hard, it’s the worst, and having a great writer’s room helps a lot. We spent an inordinate amount of time just making sure that the core progressions of the season felt right. And that’s probably what I spend the most amount of time on, is just making sure the beats feel good, and then all those other things just kind of happen organically. You know, you just try to add textures and specificities that feel true to life and true to people you know.
And then just all those themes naturally bubble up, but it’s definitely not top-down where I’m like, I want to tackle identity or anything like that. It’s just trying to write characters that feel real.
6. Ali Wong Talks The Most Physically Challenging Scenes
The actress recounts having to run through the forest in the dark and working with animals for the scene.
Ali Wong: Running in the dark looks cool on camera, but the reality of doing that, especially when you’re in a trench coat and it’s dark and you can’t see branches beneath you that get caught in your trench coat. I mean it, I just wasn’t used to it. Again, I was excited about this whole thriller element. And when you’re actually doing it, you’re like, this is scary. But it was nice because I was with Steven because he’d been on ‘The Walking Dead’, is it seven seasons? Yeah, seven seasons in the suburbs of Atlanta running away from zombies. So he was hopping around in the forest like it was his playground, and it was so interesting to see him so at home in the forest at two in the morning while I was like, Shelley Long in ‘Troop Beverly Hill.’ I was like, “Get me out here,” but it was really fun. But actually what was challenging was hiding how terrified and uncomfortable was. So that was the most challenging part, and trying to be a fraction as tough as Steven.
The actress also talked about working with crows in one scene.
Ali Wong: There was talons on my arm. Yeah. So it was, when I look at it, actually being there was not tough. It was just repressing the fear and it was like two acting jobs. It was performing for them and then performing.
The creator talks about a specific scene that was emblematic of the series and his favorite of the series
Lee Sung Jin: I’d say probably… Oh man, there’s a scene in episode seven and I’m trying to think about how to use words to not spoil anything, but it involves the two leads, and they’re in Amy’s home, and there’s sort of this confrontational conversation that happens at a dinner party, and I really loved the way you two played that scene. Quite powerful, but so minimal and it’s very existential and it gets me in my little heart and yeah, I think it’s a really… I mean, they crushed it. And so that’s probably one of my favorite scenes. And the way Jake shot that too is incredible. And yeah, it’s very emblematic of the mood of the show, I’d say.
8. Steven Yeun Talk Playing And Relating To A Character That Seems Stuck
Yeun’s character Danny Cho tends to make bad decisions, from rage-driving to physically fighting his siblings. He speaks about being able to relate to that when he was younger.
Steven Yeun: Yeah, I think for me, I relate to Danny in that when I was younger, I was certainly stuck in something like that. Of just I was raised immigrant like he did too, so I relate to this need to, as the firstborn son, control my environment in whatever way shape I can. And I relate to Danny in that way, so I can see someone who does not live in an awareness of himself constantly feeling like his story, or not even knowing that he’s living his own mind story out over and over again, that he’s constantly just put under by the way he sees the world. And I think that’s a gnarly place to be for someone like him, but he’s genuine in his frustrations. If someone would talk to him, he would just be like, “I’m telling you, this is happening to me.” And if he could just get out of his own way, he could open the door and leave, but he doesn’t know he holding himself hostage. So yeah, it was, I wouldn’t say cathartic, I would say for me, it was harrowing at times to go back to that place where I couldn’t see my own reflection in my own mirror when I was younger.
9. Amy’s House Was Designed To Give The Feel Of Being In A Cage
Wong’s character Amy puts on an armor every single day of her life. The costume department designed Amy’s outfits and color palette to be opposite of what she would be thinking internally.
Ali Wong: I have to give a lot of credit to the head of costumes, Helen (Huang), she’s amazing. So she dressed me purposely. Like, Amy would never wear this outfit that I’m wearing right now. She would never have this hair. She would never have these earrings. This would be too loud and too gauche for Amy. She wears very coated, expensive shapeless neutrals. And grace, I mean, Helen purposely dressed me like that and her expressing her sense of humor, and also she wanted me to have this armor because it’s like she thought it was so funny to dress Amy in these tans and creams and camels and whites, but then Amy have these insane thoughts. So that’s a choice that Amy makes because this is who she wants to be, but it’s also making her feel trapped. Same thing with Amy’s house, like those wooden slats you see in Amy’s house.
So Grace (Yun), who’s an amazing production designer, she spaced out those wooden slats perfectly to, while superficially they seem like very zen and serene, she built them in a way that makes it feel like a cage. So all of that really helped me feel like that.
10. Wong And Yeun Remember The Most Memorable And Emblematic Scene
For Wong, the most memorable scene was on her first day of shooting with Yeun, they were running out of time (and sun) to finish the scene and only had time for 3 more takes. The scene required Wong to chase Yeun through the house.
Ali Wong: It was just really fun. And that kind of set the tone for the rest of the shoot. I was like, oh, I mean, I talked about this before, but because I didn’t know Steven and his process that well, I was like, okay, since we’re playing enemies, in between takes and during lunch, is he going to throw a donut at my head? Is he going to go like this to me every time I try to speak to him? And then it was like, I mean, that kind of set the precedent that we will always connect in between takes, because really it’s not about us being enemies, it’s really about these two people having a connection.
For Yeun, it was a more vulnerable and quiet scene.
Steven Yeun: I think a lot of that exists in episode 10. A lot of the quiet moments were, for me, really fun to unpack. And I think even just like… Well, it’s spoilers. Just kind of being in a vulnerable, natural condition internally and externally between Danny and Amy. Those are very, to me, the show.
To wrap up the press conference, Lee Sung Jin has something to tease for the final 2 episodes of the series.
“They escalate and they get… The two trains collide, and we try to get to deeper emotions past the basic rage, sadness, happiness, and kind of try to figure out why are we the way that we are, why does reality kind of suck most of the time. So we try to go to some deeper spots while also having a very well-placed fart joke in the mix.”
The directors for the dark comedy series include Hikari, Jake Schreier, and Lee Sung Jin. ‘Beef’ premieres on Netflix on April 6th.
(L to R) Steven Yeun and Ali Wong attend Netflix’s Los Angeles premiere of “BEEF” at Netflix Tudum Theater on March 30, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Netflix.
Norman Reedus as Daryl Dixon in AMC’s ‘The Walking Dead.’
Unlike the usually frenetic pace of the ‘John Wick’ movies themselves, the pace of information about casting for the in-production movie spin-off film ‘Ballerina’ has been more of a slow, consistent drip feed.
And the latest word on the ensemble is that ‘The Walking Dead’ mainstay Norman Reedus is now aboard.
“We’re huge fans of Norman, and we’re confident that the fans will be just as excited as we are that he’s joining the ‘Wick’ universe,” producer Erica Lee. “He’ll make an incredible addition to ‘Ballerina.’ ”
Nothing is known yet about exactly what role Reedus will be filling, but the movie stars ‘No Time to Die’ and ‘Knives Out’ actor Ana de Armas as the title character.
‘Ballerina’ will follow the Ballerina character glimpsed briefly (and there played by Unity Phelan) in ‘Parabellum’ and tracks a young assassin who seeks revenge against the people who killed her family. Which does feel apt for something set in John Wick’s world.
Ian McShane in ‘John Wick: Chapter 2’
So far, the movie’s cast has started to feel like a reunion for ‘Wick’ performers, as several veterans of the main film series are confirmed to be showing up. Ian McShane, for example, will be back as Winston, the manager of the Continental hotel, part of the chain of luxury facilities which offers accommodation and assistance to assassins such as John Wick.
Lance Reddick is once more playing Charon, the concierge of the main Continental in New York, while Anjelica Huston will show up as the Director, the head of the Ruska Roma crime organization who raised Wick and trains young women like the Ballerina.
And talking of John Wick, the Keanu Reeves character who kicked (and punched and shot) it all off, is reportedly making a cameo in the new film.
Many of the ‘Wick’ regulars will also show up in ‘John Wick: Chapter 4’, which is much further along. ‘Ballerina’ has yet to chalk up a release date, while ‘John Wick: Chapter 4’ is headed our way on March 24th next year.
As for Reedus, he recently wrapped up a 12-year run on ‘The Walking Dead’, the zombie-crammed survival series that became a massive pop cultural sensation. He hasn’t left that world completely behind, though, as he’s filming a spin-off series focused on his character, Daryl Dixon.
Anjelica Huston to reprise her role as the Director, starring opposite Ana de Armas in ‘Ballerina,’ the new film set in the ‘John Wick’ universe. Photo: Lionsgate.
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Marvel Comics character Silk. Photo courtesy of Marvel.com.
Could Sony be looking to compete with Disney+ in terms of Marvel output? The studio certainly seems to be stepping up to the televisual plate, with word last year that it was developing a series based on the ‘Silk’ comic books.
That has now developed into a full-blown development slate, with plans for several series. But ‘Silk’ will still be first out of the gate, albeit with new producers.
‘Silk: Spider-Society’ will feature the character of Cindy Moon. A Korean American classmate of Peter Parker’s, she was first created by created by Dan Slott and Humberto Ramos and introduced in the comic books in ‘The Amazing Spider-Man #1’ in 2014. Like Parker, she is bitten by a radioactive spider, which gives her the ability to move at incredible speed, shoot webs out of her fingertips, and possess an advanced Spider-Sense (known as Silk Sense). Tiffany Espensen played the character in ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’, though not the superhero version.
When the show was first announced, Lauren Moon, a veteran of small screen titles such as ‘Good Trouble’ and Netflix’s ‘Atypical’ was reported as being in talks to run the series, but she’s no longer involved.
(L to R) Phil Lord and Chris Miller on the set of ’21 Jump Street.’
Instead, overseeing producers Phil Lord and Chris Miller (who, of course, are closely connected to the Spider-universe thanks to, well, the ‘Spider-Verse’ movies) are working with Angela Kang, who has spent the last few years as the main showrunner for ‘The Walking Dead’. Though she’s still linked to the ‘Dead’ world thanks to executive producing a Daryl Dixon spin-off of the long-running zombie show, her focus will now be ‘Silk: Spider Society’.
Also involved is regular Spider-producer Amy Pascal, who once more team with Lord and Miller to build out the suite of shows that will follow different characters under Sony’s rights. There are plenty to choose from, as the studio controls 900 Marvel characters as part of an arrangement made before Disney bought Marvel and spawned their successful cinematic universe.
“Angela is a pro’s pro whose perspective and creativity we greatly respect and admire. She’s also a hell of a lot of fun. She loves these characters and we feel really lucky for the chance to work with her to bring Cindy Moon’s story to the world” said Lord and Miller in a statement.
“I’m beyond thrilled to be joining the Amazon Studios family for this next chapter of my career. I look forward to working with the executive team on diverse, character-forward, watercooler shows for a global audience and am so excited to dive in to my first challenge – bringing Korean American superhero Silk to life on screen, ” said Kang.
In a quirk of the deal, the show will actually debut domestically on MGM+’s (you might know it as Epix) linear channel followed by a global launch on Prime Video.
Marvel Comics character Silk. Photo courtesy of Marvel.com.
(L to R) Norman Reedus as Daryl Dixon, and Danai Gurira as Michonne, and Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes in AMC’s ‘The Walking Dead.’
When Andrew Lincoln’s ‘The Walking Dead’ character Rick Grimes was spirited away by mysterious forces in a helicopter early in Season 9 of the show, fans were left wondering when he might show up again.
And then Michonne, played by Dania Gurira, departed the following season on a quest to find the man she loves.
We had been told around that time that their story might continue in TV movies (partly to work around Lincoln’s schedule).
Now, though, both actors made a surprise appearance at the San Diego Comic-Con Hall H panel for the show to announce that their characters will in fact return in a new series.
Lincoln and Gurira, who have been actively involved in conceiving the creative and the continuation of their characters’ story, will be executive producers, while Scott M. Gimple, Chief Content Officer of ‘Walking Dead’ Universe, is acting as showrunner.
“What a great surprise for the fans at this final Comic-Con for the series that launched this universe and made television history, says Dan McDermott, president of entertainment and AMC Studios for AMC Networks. “We couldn’t be more excited for a truly epic series finale later this year and to see Andy and Danai return in a new series they helped create, one of three new series coming in 2023 that continue the stories of so many iconic and fan-favorite TWD characters.”
(L t R) Danai Gurira as Michonne, and Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes in AMC’s ‘The Walking Dead.’
“Rick and Michonne are two of my favorite people and Danai and Andy are two of my favorite people,” Gimple says. “Working with all of them continues to be a dream come true. The three of us, along with a terrific team of ‘TWD’ all stars and incredible new voices, are crafting an insane love epic worth the long, long wait.”
“This has been the most extraordinary journey playing Rick Grimes for the best part of a decade. The friendships I’ve made along the way are deep and lasting, so it’s fitting that I finally get to complete the story with Danai and Scott and the rest of the ‘TWD’ family, Lincoln enthuses. “I’m so excited to be returning to the screen as Rick, reuniting with Danai as Michonne, and bringing the fans an epic love story to add to the ‘Walking Dead’ Universe.”
Gurira adds: “Michonne and this ‘TWD’ family has meant so much to me, and to continue the journey of these beloved characters, alongside Scott and Andy, both creatively and in front of the camera, and bringing ‘Walking Dead’ fans something truly special is just glorious. I can’t wait to pick up the katana again.”
Here’s the official synopsis: “This series presents an epic love story of two characters changed by a changed world. Kept apart by distance by an unstoppable power. By the ghosts of who they were. Rick and Michonne are thrown into another world, built on a war against the dead… And ultimately, a war against the living. Can they find each other and who they were in a place and situation unlike any they’ve ever known before? Are they enemies? Lovers? Victims? Victors? Without each other, are they even alive – or will they find that they, too, are the Walking Dead?”
While the main ‘Walking Dead’ show wraps up this year, there are a variety of spin-offs in the works, including those featuring fan-favorite Daryl (Norman Reedus), Maggie (Lauren Cohan) and Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) and anthology ‘Tales of the Walking Dead’, which starts on August 14th.
This new Rick/Michonne series, which has yet to announce its title, will launch next year with six episodes.
Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes in AMC’s ‘The Walking Dead.’
Jeffrey Dean Morgan attends the ‘Talking Dead’ at Hollywood Forever on October 23, 2016 in Hollywood, California. Photo by Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic.
Just because ‘The Walking Dead’ is set to stumble into TV history this year, that doesn’t mean that network home AMC is ready to give up on the post-apocalyptic world just yet. Far from it, in fact, with a variety of follow-ups at different stages of development and a new one – starring Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Negan and Lauren Cohan as Maggie Rhee called ‘Isle of the Dead’ on the way.
A six-episode limited series, ‘Isle of the Dead’ will follow Maggie and Negan 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.
Created by and to be run by ‘Dead’ scripting veteran Eli Jorné, the show will bring together two characters few thought would find common ground, especially since Negan was introduced partly by killing Maggie’s husband, Glenn (Steven Yeun). And yet, in the years since, they’ve come to an understanding, even teaming up in this 11th and final season.
Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Negan in AMC’s ‘The Walking Dead’
Though there had been talk of a solo spin-off for Cohan’s popular character a few years ago, she went through some tough contract negotiations in recent times, leading to her making sporadic appearances in season 9 and leaving the show before returning for the Season 10 finale onwards.
“This is a very big day for the expanding universe we are building around ‘The Walking Dead’,” says 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.”
Says ‘Walking Dead’ chief content officer Scott Gimple: “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. 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.”
This latest spin-off follows the likes of prequel ‘Fear the Walking Dead’ and youth focused ‘The Walking Dead: The World Beyond’ and is part of a sprawling grand plan to keep the stories going.
Anthology series ‘Tales of the Walking Dead’ is scheduled to launch this year, while a show focused on Carol and Daryl, played by Melissa McBride and Norman Reedus, is expected in 2023. ‘Isle of the Dead’ should also be on screens at some point next year and there is still the lingering promise of a movie featuring Andrew Lincoln’s Rick Grimes.
(L to R) Lauren Cohan and Andrew Lincoln in AMC’s ‘The Walking Dead.’
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The upcoming new spinoff of “The Walking Dead” has set Nico Tortorella in a lead role.
The “Younger” star will play Felix, described as an honorable man of his word who isn’t afraid to fight for others’ safety and acceptance, according to Deadline.
The untitled series, which will be third in AMC’s “Walking Dead” franchise, focuses on the first generation to come of age in the apocalypse as we know it. Some will become heroes. Some will become villains. In the end, all of them will be changed forever. The spinoff recently dropped its first teaser.
Tortorella will continue to be a series regular on TV Land’s “Younger,” which has already been renewed for a seventh season.
Tortorella is also an active LGBTQIA+ advocate who identifies as non-binary and who released a poetry book last year. They are writing a memoir, titled “Space Between,” which will hit shelves September 17.
It’s a whole new world in “The Walking Dead” universe.
AMC released a teaser for the third entry in the zombie franchise, a spinoff that will focus on “the next generation.”
The video features several young characters saying, “There have been things going on in ‘The Walking Dead’ universe since the very start of the story, all happening over all these years. In other places we haven’t seen. With people we haven’t seen. With the dead we haven’t seen. But we’ll see it all this spring.”
Alexa Mansour (“Unfriended: Dark Web”), Nicolas Cantu (“The Amazing World of Gumball”), and Hal Cumpston (Australian comedy “Bilched”) have been cast as the leads of the 10-episode untitled drama.
The spinoff will center on two young female protagonists and “focus on the first generation to come-of-age in the apocalypse as we know it,” according to a network description.
“Some will become heroes. Some will become villains. In the end, all of them will be changed forever. Grown-up and cemented in their identities, both good and bad.”
Co-created by Scott M. Gimple, chief content officer of “The Walking Dead” universe, the spinoff will be run by Matt Negrete, who has been a writer and producer on flagship for the past five seasons.
