The Walking Dead, that AMC series that seems to multiply faster than a field of rabbits on speed, has a new spinoff on the way. Even though the network announced it less than a month ago, it’s already got a super impressive cast list. Now, it looks like that momentum hasn’t slowed at all, as the show has just confirmed another big name to be joining its ranks.
Daniella Pineda, known as Zia Rodriguez in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom and its upcoming sequel, Jurassic World Dominion, has just added her expertise to the star-studded cast list of Tales of The Walking Dead. While there are currently no real details on the characters themselves, the talent already announced for the series should be more than enough to perk up a few ears among fans and newcomers alike. The Walking Dead anthology series will span 6 episodes and feature characters both new and returning, giving diehards plenty of reasons to check it out.
The series already includes heavy-hitters like Terry Crews (Brooklyn Nine-Nine), Anthony Edwards (Inventing Anna), Parker Posey (Netflix’s Lost in Space), Poppy Liu (Dead Ringers), and Jillian Bell (Rough Night). So the inclusion of Pineda feels like a satisfying cherry on top of an already decadent sundae. While the actual storylines are still under wraps, the premise of Tales of The Walking Dead will interestingly entail 6 standalone, episodic stories. According to former AMC COO Ed Carroll, the idea is that it will serve as a sort of “test kitchen” where, if any of the episodes does particularly well, it could even lead to another proper spinoff.
The Walking Dead itself is currently making its way through its final season after 11 years on AMC. Set in a post-apocalyptic world where zombies (known here as “walkers”) are a constant threat to everyone, the series offers plenty of opportunities to bring in new characters to its ensemble cast while maintaining an easy way for anyone to leave the show at any point. Hey, getting eaten by zombies is certainly one way to ensure a dead character won’t pull off a Boba Fett-style return.
Pineda’s inclusion will definitely be a boon for the series, particularly given her excellent performance in Netflix’s tragically canceled Cowboy Bebop. She played Faye Valentine and, along with the rest of the show’s excellent cast, displayed a truly enviable range as a bounty hunter who’d lost all her memories but retained her endearingly abrasive personality (well, endearing for those watching from a distance). If nothing else, while Cowboy Bebop deserved far better than it got from both Netflix and disproportionately harsh armchair critics, at least the world will get to see more of Pineda.
Tales of The Walking Dead reportedly already began production in January, so hopefully, eager fans won’t have to endure too much of a wait between The Walking Dead’s projected spring finale and the premiere of this new experimental project. Either way, based on the premise, it looks like there’s plenty more to look forward to, which is more than can be said for Cowboy Bebop. (Nope, definitely no bitterness or fantasies of revenge here.)
Tales of The Walking Dead is set to premiere in the summer of 2022.
Source: Variety
