The Walking Dead is an American TV series based on a comic with the same name. It is the story of survivors in a post-apocalyptic world. The survivors are living in a zombie-attacked world, trying to keep themselves safe from the walkers. However, The Walking Dead franchise has ended with its eleventh season. But according to the latest updates, AMC has announced a spin-off of the series. This spin-off will focus on the story of Maggie and Negan, titled Isle of the Dead.
The franchise has already had a few spin-offs like Fear The Walking Dead and The Walking Dead: World Beyond. This time the upcoming spin-off is going to focus on Maggie and Negan. Maggie is the oldest daughter of the Greene family and Negan is a totalitarian leader of the Survivors.
Is the Isle of the Dead a real place?
If you’re talking about the real-life Isle of the Dead, not the AMC series, the answer is actually yes: The Isle of the Dead, previously called Opossum Island, is a small island off the coast of Tasmania in Australia. Beginning in about 1833, the island was used as a cemetery for Australian convicts. There are about 1,000 graves on the Isle of the Dead, but according to the BBC, only about 180 of those graves are marked. And also, those are the graves belonging to military personnel and prison staff, not any of the prisoners themselves. Prior to the British colonization of Australia, aboriginal tribes used the Isle of the Dead for food-gathering. It is currently a UNESCO world heritage site.
All that said, if you’re asking about the AMC series, the Isle of the Dead is on an entire other continent and in a whole other hemisphere: It’s Manhattan.
The Plot
According to Dan McDermott, president of Entertainment for AMC Studios, the series will expand the narrative around two unforgettable characters that fans have come to love and hate: Maggie and Negan, brilliantly portrayed by Lauren Cohan and Jeffrey Dean Morgan.
It also allows them to explore a corner of this universe set on Manhattan island, with an iconic skyline that takes on a very different meaning when viewed through the lens of a zombie apocalypse.
The official synopsis of Isle of the Dead reads, “Isle of the Dead envisions the popular Maggie and Negan characters traveling into a post-apocalyptic Manhattan long ago cut off from the mainland. The crumbling city is filled with the dead and denizens who have made New York City their own world full of anarchy, danger, beauty, and terror.” We can only assume that Manhattan will be at least as civilized as, say, Jadis’ Scavenger settlement, but that all still remains to be seen!
The cast of the Isle of the Dead
So far the only confirmed cast members of Isle of the Dead are Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Negan and Lauren Cohan as Maggie.
Morgan said in a statement about joining the spinoff (via Variety), “I’m delighted that Negan and Maggie’s journey continues. It’s been such a ride walking in Negan’s shoes, I’m beyond excited to continue his journey in New York City with Lauren. Walkers in an urban setting has always been such a cool image, but 5th Avenue, Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty? The greatest city in the world? The backdrop is amazing, but it’s the story that Eli Jorné cooked up that is even better. Buckle up folks, Isle of the Dead is going to reinvent the TWD Universe. Huge thank you to Dan McDermott, Scott Gimple, and AMC for having us back for more… we simply can’t wait.”
Release Date of The Walking Dead Spin-Off
Though the studio has announced that the show will be released in 2023, an exact date has not been made official. And also, this will be a six-episode mini-series.
