Over the course of eight seasons, AMC's The Walking Dead has seen dozens of characters come and go, with most exiting in particularly gruesome ways, but there has been plenty of speculation of late that Lauren Cohan may soon be leaving the series as well. Cohan has played Maggie Greene since the second season of The Walking Dead, but the conclusion of the eighth season will mark an end to her Walking Dead contract. It was hopeful that a new deal would be struck, but it seems that neither Lauren Cohan and her agents were happy with AMC's offer. THR reported that "Although Cohan is not seeking salary parity with male leads Andrew Lincoln and Norman Reedus, her camp and AMC have been engaged in a months-long negotiation that remains far apart." When offers began flooding in for pilot season, Cohan made the choice to pursue them, and now it seems that she's set to star alongside Scott Foley (Scandal) in Whiskey Cavalier, an hour-long action/dramady pilot.
Whiskey Cavalier will "follow the adventures of FBI agent Will Chase (codename: Whiskey Cavalier) — played by Foley — who, following an emotional break-up, is assigned to work with quick, cunning and completely fearless CIA operative Francesca “Frankie” Trowbridge (codename: Fiery Tribune) — played by Cohan. Together, they lead an inter-agency team of spies who periodically save the world (and each other) while navigating the rocky roads of friendship, romance and office politics." As for what this means for The Walking Dead, it's said that the production schedule of the series shouldn't interfere with Whiskey Cavalier if the pilot is picked up to series, meaning that Lauren Cohen would be able to return as Maggie on a recurring basis; of course, that's assuming that Lauren Cohan is able to come to an agreement with AMC. There's still plenty of story to tell regarding Maggie, particularly as she's assumed much more of a leadership role, so it would be a shame to see her exit at this point, but I suppose things don't always work out.
Would you be sad to see Lauren Cohan leave The Walking Dead?
The Walking Dead will return from its mid-season hiatus on February 25th.