All 'The Walking Dead' Cast Members Except For Lauren Cohan Have Reportedly Re-signed For Season 9

The Walking Dead has re-signed every cast member for its upcoming ninth season save for Lauren [...]

The Walking Dead has re-signed every cast member for its upcoming ninth season save for Lauren Cohan, THR reports.

Series leads Andrew Lincoln, Norman Reedus, Danai Gurira and Jeffrey Dean Morgan are expected to return, barring any unforeseen character deaths.

Per THR, Cohan is the lone woman out as all have re-signed for season 9 "and beyond." AMC is expected to debut The Walking Dead's ninth season this October.

Cast members billed in The Walking Dead's opening titles include Melissa McBride, Lennie James, Alanna Masterson, Josh McDermitt, Christian Serratos, Seth Gilliam and Ross Marquand.

James will be departing the flagship series this season to join the ranks of Fear The Walking Dead season 4, premiering immediately following Walking Dead's season finale Sunday, April 15.

Katelyn Nacon, Steven Ogg and Pollyanna McIntosh were promoted to series regulars for season 8.

Diehards feared Cohan would be exiting the series when word broke the actress had hit a wall during contract negotiations with AMC.

With her contract expired and no deal in place for season 9, Cohan has boarded ABC pilot Whiskey Cavalier that may or may not make it to series. As noted by THR, the actress has several options:

The situation could play out in several ways: Cohan leaves The Walking Dead after season eight; she re-signs to return for season nine as a regular; Whiskey Cavalier moves forward and Cohan either returns for a handful of TWD episodes or walks away from the zombie franchise entirely; or the pilot doesn't go to series and the actress opts to leave or return in either a full-time or limited capacity.

Cohan's Maggie Rhee is among the most pivotal characters in creator Robert Kirkman's ongoing comic book series, where she leads the farming Hilltop community.

Another major character, Carl Grimes, met his end in Sunday's mid-season 8 premiere. The episode saw 18-year-old Chandler Riggs' departure from the series after eight years, deviating from the comic books where Carl is poised to one day assume the protagonist role.

Riggs admitted he was blindsided by his abrupt exit from the show, telling ET Live showrunner Scott M. Gimple "didn't mention" Carl's death in preliminary talks for season 8.

Gimple, who has since been promoted to Chief Creative Officer to oversee the Walking Dead brand for AMC, told TV Line he is "incredibly hopeful" Cohan returns for another season. Cohan has been with the show since its second season in 2011.

"These things happen in TV," Gimple explained, adding the two camps are "talking."

Producer and writer Angela Kang, who also boarded the hit zombie series in 2011, will be promoted to the position of showrunner for season 9.

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

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