According to Deadline, Lesley-Ann Brandt has been tapped for a key recurring role of Pearl Thorne in AMC’s upcoming The Walking Dead spin-off centered around Rick Grimes and Michonne. Besides leading stars Andrew Lincoln and Danai Gurira, Brandt serves as the first confirmed new cast member for the six-episode horror drama, which is currently filming in New Jersey.
Brandt is best known for her role as Mazikeen in Netflix’s popular supernatural fantasy series Lucifer, which lasted for six seasons from 2016-2021. The Walking Dead spin-off marks her first major project since the Tom Ellis-led series had ended its run.
Andrew Lincoln and Danai Gurira are set to reprise their fan-favorite roles in the upcoming Rick and Michonne spin-off. It will be written and produced by Scott Gimple, who will also serve as the showrunner. Gurira will also be credited as a co-creator and co-writer for the six-episode drama.
“This series presents an epic love story of two characters changed by a changed world,” reads the synopsis. “Kept apart by distance. By an unstoppable power. By the ghosts of who they were. Rick and Michonne are thrown into another world, built on a war against the dead … And ultimately, a war against the living. Can they find each other and who they were in a place and situation unlike any they’ve ever known before?”
Based on Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore, and Charlie Adlard’s comic series of the same name, The Walking Dead is executive produced by Kirkman, Scott M. Gimple, Greg Nicotero, David Alpert, Joseph Incaprera, Gale Anne Hurd, Denise Huth, and Angela Kang.
Currently scheduled for a 2024 debut, the Rick and Michonne drama was initially set to premiere this year along with two other spin-offs, The Walking Dead: Dead City and The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, which are both centered around the original series’ leading survivors. Both spin-offs are also currently in production, with the Jeffrey Dean Morgan-led series set to premiere this June, followed by the Norman Reedus-led show’s premiere later this year.