'The Walking Dead' Spinoff Casts Two, Reveals Premise

The Walking Dead just finished up Season 5a this past Sunday, and will return in February for the hotly-anticipated Season 5b. But AMC is already looking ahead to how they can maximize what they can get out of the franchise with the new spinoff that's on the way. Case in point, the show has revealed two new cast members, along with its premise.

Frank Dillane and Alycia Debnam Carey have been cast in the pilot for The Walking Dead spinoff, created by The Walking Dead graphic novel creator Robert Kirkman. The series, co-created by Dave Erickson (Sons of Anarchy) with a pilot directed by Adam Davidson (Hell On Wheels), is tentatively titled Cobalt, and will center on a male divorced teacher and a female guidance counselor during the same period in which Rick Grimes and his group of survivors struggle in the zombie apocalypse. Dillane (Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince) will play the female guidance counselor’s son, a guy battling a serious drug problem. Meanwhile, Debnam Carey (Into the Storm) will play the woman’s "ambitious" daughter.

No word on when the project is scheduled to go into production, but I would guess AMC would want this out sooner rather than later, in order to fill the long summer gap between seasons for The Walking Dead. Considering The Walking Dead is the most-watched show in all of cable, and one of the most watched shows on TV altogether, this isn't exactly a bad idea, although I'd rather they take their time putting the series together to avoid making a mess of things. Lord knows, The Walking Dead franchise has a history of behind-the-scenes turmoil. Either way, I'm hoping Cobalt will be worth the wait, however long that wait ends up being.

Via: Deadline

Credit: Deadline