'The Walking Dead' Casts Two Key Roles
Fans of The Walking Dead comics will be happy to know that the AMC show has just cast two of the series most pivotal roles.
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Southland alum Michael Cudlitz has been cast in the role of Sgt. Abraham Ford, a character introduced in Issue 53. Abraham is an Army vet who had taken up a career as a sports coach prior to the outbreak, and it's these leadership skills that result in his becoming essential to Rick's group.
Cudlitz's casting has been kept under tight wraps, though he's reportedly been shooting on location in Georgia for weeks now.
“I was laying low because [Abraham has] a very iconic look,” Cudlitz explained, adding he was approached last spring about joining the cast for Season 4. “It would be very easy for somebody to put the pieces together if they saw me strolling around [near the show's set.] So I was staying very close to the hotel. And I didn’t hang out with any of the other castmembers.”
Cudlitz continues, “Abraham is someone who comes with a lot of emotional baggage. And he’s on a mission.”
However, Cudlitz has no delusions about the possibility of his role being a long-lasting one, given how prone the series is to killing off characters, even ones that continue to survive in the comics.
“There’s no guarantee of how long or how short it will be, which is one of the things I actually find pretty exciting about the job after being locked into Southland for so many years,” he admits. “But [Abraham] is very important in the comic, so I imagine even if it IS short, it’ll be bright.”
No word on when Abraham will appear, but he's expected around midseason. However, Cudlitz's casting isn't the only news related to Season 4.
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Josh McDermitt has been cast in the role of Dr. Eugene Porter, a former high school science teacher who travels with Abraham and Rosita (to be portrayed by new recurring player Christian Serratos).
The group eventually crosses paths with Rick, at which point certain lies Eugene has told come to light. It's a pretty dynamic character, from what I've read of him, and he's probably the new addition I'm most excited about seeing in Season 4. However, much like Abraham, there is no word on when in Season 4 Eugene will make his first appearance, but his arrival (along with Abraham) is likely to serve as a harbinger of some crazy drama to come.
"We're going to tell a version of the Eugene, Abraham and Rosita comic stories, that's what we do," said showrunner Scott Gimple, in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. "I love those characters from the book; they are very different flavors of comic book characters than we've seen on the show."
One of the key traits of Eugene's character that will be imported to the series is his disguised appearance, as the former science teacher initially tries to hide his intelligence from outsiders by changing his appearance -- with such distractions as a mullet.
"Josh looks breathtaking in a mullet; he was born to wear one," Gimple said with a laugh. "I can proudly announce we will see a mullet!"
So there you have it. Business in the front, party in the back, and walkers on every side. Sign me the hell up.
Via: TVLine / The Hollywood Reporter