The end may be near forThe Walking Dead, but its spinoff series is still moving forward on AMC. The network has just put in the official renewal for an eighth season ofFear the Walking Dead, the first of multiple spinoffs. Accompanying this announcement is the big news that series starKim Dickenswill return to the series as Madison Clark, formerly a main character who was presumably killed in season 4. She will first appear in these second half of season 7 ahead of the newly-renewed eighth season.
“If there were a Mt. Deadmore, Kim Dickens’ face would be on it,“The Walking Deadcontent chief Scott M. Gimple said of the news. “Madison Clark is a foundational character to TWDU — heroic, complex, an everyperson who becomes a warrior and then a force of benevolence. Kim Dickens’ raw talent, strength and brilliance will electrify TWDU once more and we couldn’t be luckier to have her back.”
No details were revealed about how Madison will return, so it’s not yet clear if this means the character is alive after all, or if she’ll appear through flashback or hallucination sequences. In season 4, Madison had been living in a fortified baseball stadium with her family, and when it’s overrun, she seemingly sacrifices herself so the others can escape. Her body was never shown, which inThe Walking Dead Universecan always mean that a character is actually alive, but it really seemed grim for her return after the seasons went by. Kim Dickens later revealed that the decision to leave the show wasn’t hers and she was disappointed to go.
“As far as I know, she’s dead!” Dickens alsotold us at MovieWebwhen asked if Madison was really gone. “It was the part I’m most proud of. Helping build that show from the beginning, across three different countries, that character was something I felt I had grown my whole career to get to play. I’m so proud of it, and it ended too soon for what I wanted, but there were a lot of changes over there creatively. I can’t imagine they would want to revisit Madison, but she was a great character. I’m so proud of it.”
On potentially returning, she added, “I am really proud of Madison Clark. I mean, to be kicking ass on a daily basis like that, as a female lead of a show, it was a dream role. It was so beautifully written, I thought. It was complex. She was terribly flawed - it was great… We would have to sit down and talk about it, but I love the character, I love the fans, and like I said, I was so proud of the show. So, I would never say no, without discussing it and seeing what they were talking about.”
Season 7B ofFear the Walking Deadwill premiere on April 17 on AMC. After the two-season seriesThe Walking Dead: World Beyondrecently completed its run, and the main show preparing to wrap it up after season 11, the universe is set to further expand with a new spinoff following Daryl Dixon and Carol, along with an anthology seriesTale of the Walking Dead. This news comes to us fromThe Hollywood Reporter.
