On paper, the upcoming “The Walking Dead: Dead City” would appear to be the weakest of the three spin-offs coming up. Whilst both Maggie (Lauren Cohan) and Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) are interesting characters, an entire series focused on their contentious relationship is not the most engrossing idea.
To combat this, AMC has given them a great backdrop – a post-apocalyptic New York City long ago cut off from the mainland and a place where they not only have to deal with the undead, but the remnants of civilization amidst the crumbling city blocks.
Appearing at AMC’s 2023 Winter TCA presentation, Cohan says she’s a big fan of the new environment and finds the setting an “unpleasant wake-up call” with new terrain that is “just unwelcoming” she tells Slashfilm. It also explores the notions of forgiveness and getting on with life.
Showrunner Eli Jomé adds that this is a world we have never seen in the “Walking Dead” universe before, and as a result, it takes influence from some quite different sources than the now-finished mothership series:
“‘The Walking Dead’ started with a fusion of classic stuff like John Ford, and then, you know, Romero, and fuse those together. These are more, I would say, contemporary horror references, but a little further down the line, like John Carpenter’s ‘Escape from New York’ and [Walter Hill’s] ‘The Warriors.'”
Like the other new spin-offs on the way, this will consist of just six episodes, and it’s not yet clear if it will continue on beyond one season.
Shot last Fall, the series is on track for a June 2023 release and will be the first of the new spin-offs to hit the screen. The Daryl Dixon-centric second arrives in the Fall with the Rick & Michonne-led third hitting early 2024.
