Following hot on the heels of Carl Grimes’ recent exit, it looks like The Walking Dead may be forced to kill off another long-running character in the form of Maggie Rhee. The problem is that actress Lauren Cohan is currently engaged in a dispute over payment with AMC. The discussions are clearly not going well, either, as the actress has already signed up for a pilot over at ABC, which could see her leave the show.
From what we understand, the likes of Andrew Lincoln, Norman Reedus, Danai Gurira (Black Panther) and Jeffrey Dean Morgan have all put pen to paper – ditto for Melissa McBride, Alanna Masterson, Josh McDermitt, Christian Serratos, Seth Gilliam and Ross Marquand – but the standoff between Lauren Cohan and the Powers That Be over at AMC continues to fester.
At least, that’s according to creator Robert Kirkman, who was recently pressed for an update by Screen Junkies. While he wouldn’t give any concrete info, he did say that things are still “very much ongoing” between the two parties.
“Oh, I’m not commenting on that in any way. What’s going on…I have no idea, I’m just gonna drink this water. But, I mean, Lauren is an amazing actor, and unfortunately, a lot of things have leaked out into the press but, things are still very much ongoing.”
As of this writing, Lauren Cohan’s Walking Dead contract has expired, and though Maggie is still alive and keeping in the comics, it’s looking increasingly likely that her time on the AMC zombie drama is about to be cut short. And if that is indeed the case, the network might just have a riot on their hands.
After all, if she ends up being killed off, that would be yet another shocking death that flies in the face of the comic books. However, it would fit in with the show’s renewed intention to shock both the average TV viewer and hardcore fans of the franchise, as showrunner Scott Gimple has previously explained.
Whether it happens or not remains to be seen, but be sure to tune in every Sunday night when The Walking Dead airs on AMC to find out.