While some major characters are said to be making their exits from AMC's The Walking Dead during the show's upcoming ninth season, it has now been announced that another character from the comic book source material will be making her debut on the show during the season.
That character is Connie, a woman who joins the Alexandria community led by Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln). Looking over online bios, it doesn't look like Connie has had anything major to do in the comic book, but she has been around for a good number of issues.
Playing the television version of Connie will be actress Lauren Ridloff, a former Miss Deaf America who received a Tony nomination for her Broadway performance in the play Children of a Lesser God. Ridloff was born deaf, and while the comic book Connie was not deaf, the TV Connie will be. The character is described as
a seasoned survivor deft at using her senses to read people, situations, and trouble. Her character is deaf and uses American Sign Language (ASL) to communicate.
An interesting sidenote is the fact that Ridloff is married to Douglas Ridloff, who was the sign language coach on the set of this year's excellent horror film A QUIET PLACE.
It's not clear when in the new season Connie will be showing up, but The Walking Dead is expected to return to AMC airwaves this October.