Title and character details revealed for the The Walking Dead spin-off

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

With the mid-season finale under their belts, AMC and WALKING DEAD creator Robert Kirkman continue to develop their "companion series" to the zombie hit. Lots of news has surfaced about the spin-off which is now operating under the working title of COBALT. Whether that remains the final title is unknown, but for now THE WALKING DEAD: COBALT has unveiled the first character descriptions as well as some casting rumors.

TV Line posted the character descriptions which give us a hint of what THE WALKING DEAD: COBALT will be about. At the core will be two families, led by a former teacher and a guidance counselor, and another character named Andrea. Here are the descriptions.

SEAN CABRERA | A Latino male in his early 40s, Sean is a good man trying to do right by everyone in his life.

CODY CABRERA | Sean’s whip-smart and rebellious teenage son. Known as the angriest kid in town.

NANCY TOMPKINS | A thirtysomething single mom to two kids, Nancy looks like the girl next door, but there’s an edge to her.

NICK TOMPKINS | Nancy’s screwed up teenage son. He’s too old to stay home, too scared to flee.

ASHLEY TOMPKINS | Nancy’s mostly level-headed teenage daughter. Her ambition is in direct proportion to her older brother’s failures. She loves her mom but it’s time to get out of Dodge.

ANDREA CHAPMAN | A somewhat wilted flower child, fortysomething Andrea — yep, another Andrea! — has retreated to the outskirts of the city to recover after a horrible marriage.

Deadline reports that Frank Dillane (HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE) and Alycia Debnam Carey (INTO THE STORM) are up for the parts of Nick and Ashley Tompkins. Aside from that, no further casting news is know, nor is the setting. We do know the series will take place during the same time period as the main series but it is unknown where it will be set, geographically.

Personally, I like the idea of taking another group and watching them survive, but part of me was hoping for something completely different from THE WALKING DEAD dynamic. COBALT seems almost like a copy of the main series but with a different cast, which may be fun for a season or two, but will then become repetitive. Here’s hoping there is more we do not yet know about the show.

THE WALKING DEAD: COBALT is expected to debut sometime in 2015.