The Walking Dead Franchise Continues to Expand, Aimee Garcia and Jimmi Simpson Join Dead City Cast
Arguably, the reason why such huge budgets get pumped into concept prestige TV shows these days, The Walking Dead franchise has been raising the profiles of talented actors since 2010.
Some were already well-established, such as Andrew Lincoln and Jeffrey Dean Morgan, while others, like Lauren Cohan, Danai Gurira, Jon Bernthal, Norman Reedus, Steven Yeun, and Christian Serratos, became stars through their appearances in the zombie apocalypse.
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Now, three years after the official conclusion of the main show, The Walking Dead continues with two spin-off shows that have new seasons in development and another in production.
Making the news most recently is that in this ever-expanding franchise, we’ll soon get to see Aimee Garcia and Jimmi Simpson enter the fray of Dead City Season 3, while Season 4 of Daryl Dixon will be the spin-off’s last.
New Members of The Walking Dead World
Not even a year had passed from the conclusion of The Walking Dead before Dead City and then Daryl Dixon were released by AMC. The two spin-offs made quite the leap to get off the ground.
One saw two should-be irreconcilable enemies team up on a quest to New York City, while the other followed a fan-favorite TV show original character wash up on the shores of France.
Regardless, the high-budget shows have performed well enough for the network to produce what will be a third and fourth season, both of which are currently in production.
Both have also been able to attract top talent to fill out the cast. With Season 3 of Dead City underway in September, we heard news of Aimee Garcia of RoboCop, The Addams Family, Dexter, and Lucifer fame joining as the charming and optimistic factional leader Renata.
Later, another top actor was revealed as a new member of the Dead City team. Jimmi Simpson will step into the boots of Dillard as a series regular, having impressed in roles in Westworld, Dark Matter, and Pachinko.
Beyond Dead City, showrunner Scott M. Gimple has aspirations for circling back to these spin-offs and stories, ultimately connecting them to the original main character, Rick Grimes. Which of its new characters may feature in such a crossover event is yet to be seen.
An Ever-Expanding Franchise for Fans
Spin-offs have long been a favorite form of expansion for The Walking Dead franchise, with AMC seemingly willing to follow any viable story thread. They’ve also been keen to meet fans in other arenas of entertainment.
Robert Kirkman, who wrote the comics the show is based on, also ran a novel series alongside the comics. Additionally, Thorpe Park in the UK unveiled The Walking Dead: The Ride while the show was on the rise. Equally, the brand has expanded into newer forms of digital entertainment, like the world of gambling games at online bingo sites.
The Walking Dead Cash Collect game fully immerses players in the setting, featuring an atmospheric soundtrack and characters such as Negan, Daryl, Michonne, Rick, and Carol on the reels. As with the premise of Dead City and the settings of Daryl Dixon, it’s another example of AMC being ready to explore all paths to expand the franchise.
However, an end draws near for one of these new adventures. While Daryl Dixon Season 3 is just wrapping up on TV, filming has begun on its fourth and final season, which will presumably get Daryl and Carol back to the US.
Also in development, while the two spin-offs film is another new spin-off. More Tales from the Walking Dead Universe, as it’s presently known, is in development under Gimple and could land after Dixon finishes up.
The Walking Dead has proven itself to be a resilient and relentless franchise across all media, and by the looks of it, there are plenty more stories from within the zombie apocalypse yet to come.
