"The Walking Dead" spinoff/companion series has found its leading lady! According to Deadline, Kim Dickens ("Gone Girl" and "Sons of Anarchy") has landed the lead female role and will play a guidance counselor with a dark past.
The character's name has not been revealed but she will most likely play Nancy Tompkins, "a 30-something single mom of two." Nancy is described as a girl-next-door type but edgier. Her kids have already been cast as Frank Dillane and Alycia Debnam Carey. Dillane will play the troubled son Nick Tompkins, and Carey is the overachiever daughter, Ashley.
According to Deadline, Dickens' love interest on the show will be Cliff Curtis who was cast as Sean Cabrera. AMC is keeping a tight lid on the companion series, but Deadline reports that production is using the code name "Cobalt" and the series will take place right at the start of the zombie apocalypse in Los Angeles.
The original "Walking Dead" series centers around a group of survivors in Atlanta.
"There are many corners of 'The Walking Dead' universe that remain unseen in the shadows. Being given the opportunity to shine a light into those corners and see what lurks out there is an absolute thrill. I know the fans ae anxious to hear what Dave [Erickson] and I have been cooking up for this new universe of 'The Walking Dead,' and I'm happy to be one step closer to sharing it with them," Kirkman previously said in a statement when the pilot was announced.
The pilot for the new show will include scenes at a hospital and a school, E! Online reports. Production is scheduled to begin next month and "The Walking Dead" returns for the second half of its fifth season in February on AMC.
