The Punisher Actor Joins Third Walking Dead Series

Joe Holt has boarded AMC’s untitled third Walking Dead series in a recurring role, Deadline reports.

Holt plays Leo Bennett, described as “a solid family man and respected professor with a generous heart and unwavering optimism for the future. He’d risk his life to save the people he cares about.”

Holt’s filmography includes appearances in Prison Break, Criminal Minds, Supernatural and recurring roles in Franklin & Bash and Scandal. In the second season of Marvel’s The Punisher, where he appeared opposite former Walking Dead star Jon Bernthal, Holt portrayed Ohio sheriff Roy Hardin.

AMC has filled out the cast for its second Walking Dead spinoff in recent weeks as filming is underway in the Richmond, Virginia area. Holt’s casting follows the early August addition of Nico Tortorella (The Following, Younger), whose lead role of Felix is described as “an honorable man of his word who isn’t afraid to fight for others’ safety and acceptance.”

Both actors join previously set stars Alexa Mansour (Unfriended: Dark Web) as “good-natured rule breaker” Hope, Aliyah Royale (The Red Line) as Iris, Annet Mahendru (The Americans) as Huck, Nicolas Cantu (The Amazing World of Gumball) as “old soul” Elton, and Hal Cumpston (Bilched) as “shy loner” Silas.

The young survivors belong to the first generation to come of age in the same zombie apocalypse explored in The Walking Dead and spinoff Fear the Walking Dead. TWD chief content officer Scott Gimple created the series with TWD veteran Matthew Negrete, who will serve as showrunner.

“These kids can grow up in a place of comfort and security, but they leave everything on a dangerous quest, and are being pursued by adults on their own,” Gimple said when officially unveiling the series at San Diego Comic-Con. “We’ll see kids become heroes and some become villains. We’re going to open up a whole new world of TWD.”

Surfaced set photos from the spinoff’s Virginia set show an elaborate plane crash teased in a concept trailer, above. The Untitled Walking Dead Spinoff is due out on AMC this spring.