Sons of Anarchy alum Ryan Hurst to join The Walking Dead for Season 9

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

It's been announced via The Wrap that SONS OF ANARCHY alum and magnificent beard cultivator, Ryan Hurst, is being added to the cast of AMC's THE WALKING DEAD Season 9. For the upcoming events of the award-winning zombie horror series, Hurst will step into the role of Beta, a character pulled from the pages of Robert Kirkman and Tony Moore's long-running comic book series.

For those of you who are not caught up with the show, and have yet to read the comics, Beta acts as second-in-command to Samantha Morton’s Alpha, the leader of The Whisperers, a group of survivors who disguise themselves with "roamer" skin to blend in with them and not get noticed. The group made their first appearance in Issue #130 of the Skybound/Image series , serving as the antagonists for the A New Beginning and The Whisperer War storylines (via Walking Dead Wiki).

Hurst is one of several new cast members joining the fray for Season 9 of the AMC's zombie-centric series. As previously reported, Cassady McClincy (CASTLE ROCK, OZARK) will board the show as Alpha's daughter, Lydia, while Nadia Hilker (SPRING, THE 100) is set to play Magna, the leader of another group of survivors poised to make their debut as a part of Season 9. Traveling alongside Magna as members of the new group are characters Connie and Yumiko, who will be played by Lauren Ridloff (SIGN GENE, WONDERSTRUCK) and Eleanor Matsuura (DOCTOR WHO, WONDER WOMAN, respectively.

Oh boy, I've got a sneaking suspicion that things are about to get even nastier with Beta shambling onto the scene. As an ex NBA basketball player, Beta has the agility to kill quickly and exit the site before being noticed. However, Beta also makes a nasty habit of not covering his tracks, which could land him in a tight spot as Rick and his group move to take Beta off the board.

Season 9 of AMC's THE WALKING DEAD is scheduled for a Sunday, October 7 premiere.