Just as AMC’s The Walking Dead is in the middle of its farewell season, the franchise’s zombie universe is expanding. According to Deadline, the network announced more cast members for its episodic anthology series, Tales of the Walking Dead. The series has added Olivia Munn (The Predator, Ride Along 2), Danny Ramirez (The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, On My Block), Embeth Davidtz (Matilda, Fracture), Gage Munroe (Nobody, The Shack), Jessie T. Usher (Independence Day: Resurgence, The Boys), and Loan Chabanol (Third Person, Fading Gigalo).
The new series will be set in the world of The Walking Dead and consist of six hour-long standalone episodes, according to Deadline. Its main cast includes Jillian Bell (Brittany Runs A Marathon, Rough Night), Terry Crews (Brooklyn-Nine-Nine, Everybody Hates Chris), Anthony Edwards (ER, Top Gun), Poppy Liu (Sunnyside, Hacks), and Parker Posey (Lost in Space, Blade: Trinity). AMC currently has two other spinoff series in addition to the mothership show. Fear the Walking Dead was currently renewed for a seventh season; The Walking Dead: World Beyond was renewed for a sophomore season.
“Olivia, Danny, Loan, Embeth, Jessie and Gage are the latest massive talents that will bring new worlds of TWD to life with big, daring, different, emotional, shocking, scary, and crazy stories,” Scott M. Gimple, Chief Content Officer over the Walking Dead universe, excitedly told Deadline. “We’re excited for them to come walk with us,” Gimple said.
Gimple was joined by the series showrunner, Channing Powell, who serves as a writer-producer on two other Walking Dead series.
“Somehow we have lucked into the greatest cast — Olivia, Jessie, Embeth, Danny, Loan, Gage… We’ve been hoping these episodes will feel like unique, little films and with this range of actors, we are well on our way,” Powell explained via Deadline.
First airing in 2011, The Walking Dead is based on the graphic comic series of the same title from Invincible creator, Robert Kirkman. The story centers on man’s struggle to survive each other as an infectious pandemic turns mere humans into flesh-eating zombies.
Tales of The Walking Dead is set to premiere on both AMC and AMC+ this summer.
Photo credit by Raymond Flotat