The Walking Dead returns to NYCC with some big news. Lauren Cohan is officially returning to the show. Paola Lázaro has been cast as Juanita Sanchez, aka Princess for season 10. And the official announcement of season 11 for TWD.
We’ve been waiting to hear about Cohan fate since last spring. She has portrayed Maggie Greene since Season 2. A fan favorite, we watched Maggie fall in love with Glenn Rhee (Steven Yeun), get married, get pregnant and then lose the love of her life. She gave birth to Hershel Rhee then skipped town. She appeared in the first five episodes of season 9 before leaving to join Georgie (Jane Atkinson) to help colonies improve their communities.
Cohan left the show to pursue the lead in an ABC series that only lasted one season. Fans have been asking about her TWD return ever since. Showrunner Angela Kang didn’t have any definite plans until now. Insider.com broke the news immediately after the TWD panel at NYCC. I assume we will see her in the second half of the season.
The reveal was announced when Cohan came out on stage dressed in a Friday the Thirteenth Jason mask with Negan’s outfit and Lucille. The crowd and the cast were surprised and very happy to see her.
Maggie is returning to #TWD!
— The Walking Dead (@WalkingDead_AMC) October 5, 2019
Hi @LaurenCohan #NYCC pic.twitter.com/GvmVVxhtbw
On top of that, the cute and quirky Princess has been cast for The Walking Dead season 10. In the comics, Princess is quite quirky and often makes jokes in uncomfortable situations. Michonne and others find her in Pennsylvania, but she’s been alone for so long that they question her sanity. They allow her to tag along, seeing the value in her survival skills, but she does have a hidden dark side. This all happens just before they find the Commonwealth.
It appears that TWD is heading to the Commonwealth pretty quickly. I don’t expect to see Princess until the second half of the season. Maybe she will have something to do with bringing Maggie back. Comic book fans should be excited, but keep in mind…Kang and TWD Chief Content Officer Scott Gimple stray from the comics a lot. They bring in little things here and there. Their show is very different.
The NYCC TWD panel consisted of Kang, Dave Alpert, Gimple, Robert Kirkman, Norman Reedus, Danai Gurira, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Josh McDermitt, Seth Gilliam, Ross Marquand, and Cailey Fleming. Talking Dead host Chris Hardwick moderated and basically asked each of the cast members one question about the upcoming season.
We learned that Negan is Kirkman’s favorite TWD character. Daryl’s relationship with Carol mirrors that of the friendship between Reedus and Melissa McBride. If Daryl is mad at Carol, Reedus is usually mad at McBride too. Eugene (McDermitt) wants to be the Steve Jobs of the apocalypse. Funko Pop! made a Judith Grimes (Fleming) doll that is now available. Marquand got excited about Aaron’s new weapon. He wears a spikey ball as the prosthetic for his left arm. And Kang confirmed there is a season 11 in the works. Oh and, no major Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) movie news. All Gimple said is they are working on it.
The biggest moment of the panel was the farewell for Gurira. She has officially finished filming for The Walking Dead. That leads me to believe we will only see her through the first half of the season, saying goodbye in November possibly. The panel and the crowd gave her a standing ovation. Gurira got a little emotional talking about her time on the show and thanking the fans for all of their love of Michonne.
.@DanaiGurira gives fans a sweet message about all her time on #TWD as we head into her final season on the show. #NYCC19 pic.twitter.com/sUDjv3fJL4
— Kirsten (@KirstenAcuna) October 5, 2019
The new season is about to begin. The NYCC audience got to watch the first six minutes of the premiere episode that features an interesting twist to the TWD world. But just for that one episode…I think.
Check back with Geek Girl Authority for all the latest The Walking Dead news and recaps. The Walking Dead season ten premieres Sunday, October 6 on AMC.
RELATED: THE WALKING DEAD Season 10 Episodes 1-3 Spoiler-Free Review
News Editor, Senior Contributor, and Press Editor. Coordinate breaking news, trailers and press releases. I also contribute reviews, recaps and interviews. Creator of the Indigenerd Wire, a column dedicated to the Indigenous creatives in pop culture.
GGA's resident Indigenerd, a little bit rez, a little bit classy...with a love for all things Star Wars, zombies, science fiction, and Indigenous. My ultimate goal is to start my own podcast.
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