‘The Walking Dead’ Issues Official Statement On Lauren Cohan’s Future With The Show

Lauren Cohan’s last appearance on this season of The Walking Dead came earlier this month during the fifth episode of the season, “What Comes After.” If series showrunner Angela Kang and AMC exec Scott Gimple have anything to do about it, The Walking Dead fans have yet to see the end of Maggie Rhee.

In a statement read earlier tonight on Talking Dead, the powers that be stated they’d love to have the actor back on the show.

“Maggie’s last episode this season was 905,” Talking Dead host Chris Hardwick said as he read a statement prepared by Kang and Gimple. “But it isn’t the end of Maggie’s story. We love Lauren Cohan and hope to have her back on the big program and or beyond, and we have built a story to service that.”

The statement echoes what ComicBook.com’s Brandon Davis said on After the Dead earlier tonight, saying that Kang was in the process of mapping out season ten and thinking of ways they could bring Maggie back.

Prior to this season, pay negotiations ended up breaking down between Cohan and the network leading Cohan to book a gig with ABC’s Whiskey Cavalier, a series where she has top-billed status. Kang had previously told ComicBook.com that production would be willing to work around Cohan’s time on Whiskey Cavalier to an extent.

“I hope it’ll work. We’ll cross that bridge [when we get to it],” said Kang of the series, set to debut in 2019.

“Lauren and I have had conversations, and she’s excited to come back, even if it’s not for a full season. We can work with that. That’s scheduling problems. We’ll figure out the story. She’s great. We have a great relationship, and she still loves the show. Sometimes our actors need to spread their wings a little bit. We get that.”

Sometime during the six year time jump immediately following Rick’s exit from the show, Maggie left Hilltop to help Georgie’s group, the mysterious businesswoman played by Jouse of Cards alum Jayne Atkinson.

Would Maggie’s return excite you for season ten of The Walking Dead? What did you think of Cohan’s limited role this season? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

The Walking Dead airs Sundays at 9/8c on AMC.