‘The Walking Dead’ Actress Joins ‘Z Nation’

Syfy’s Z Nation is about to get a visit from a zombie television veteran.

According to a new report from Deadline, The Walking Dead alum Katy O’Brian will be joining the cast of Z Nation in its upcoming fifth season. O’Brian will be playing Georgia (aka George) St. Clair, a young hero of the Newpocalypse.

Described as “just a college Freshman eight years ago as the Zombie Apocalypse began”, Georgia helped lead a group of her fellow students and teachers to NewMerica where she is now a political leader as survivors try to form a new country and learn to deal with a new kind of Zombie.

“I think the zombie apocalypse has already been a stand-in for what’s the worst that can happen,” series co-creator and writer Karl Schaefer explained in a previous interview. “Our characters finally make it to Newmerica and they meet up with this new character George, who’s kind of like the new George Washington. There’s a huge incident that happens in the opening episode that blows the country apart, and our characters have to save this new nation, killing one zombie at a time.”

O’Brian is best known for playing a character also named Katy in Season 8 of The Walking Dead, a member of the Saviors who is ultimately turned into a zombie after she is shot with a tainted arrow. Her other credits include How to Get Away with Murder and Halt and Catch Fire.

Z Nation was renewed for a fifth season in December of last year, and is expected to present a wholly unique take on the zombie genre. Most memorably, the season is supposed to introduce a new brand of zombies who are given the ability to talk.

“The black rain caused a side effect and gave all the zombies a level of consciousness,” Schaefer revealed. “This season, zombies can talk. They’re called Talkers. They can think and cause various sorts of trouble.”

Are you excited to see O’Brian join Z Nation? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

The fifth season of Z Nation will debit sometime later this year.