Jeffrey Dean Morgan Invites Alycia Debnam-Carey to Join TWD Spinoff

By Cameron Bonomolo

Jeffrey Dean Morgan wants Alycia Debnam-Carey to be a part of it: New York, New York. Following The Walking Dead's series finale later this year on AMC, Negan (Morgan) and Maggie Rhee (Lauren Cohan) will return in Isle of the Dead, their own NYC-set spinoff following the ex-enemies on their travels into a post-apocalyptic Manhattan. After Debnam-Carey announced her departure from Fear the Walking Dead after seven seasons as Alicia Clark — her fate was left open-ended in the penultimate episode of Season 7 — the Negan actor tweeted an invitation to return to the Walking Dead Universe in Isle of the Dead. 

"To the incredible @DebnamCarey. You kick ass. Period. On and off screen," Morgan tweeted. "Whatever is next? I'm here for it. Congrats on an incredible run… [The Walking Dead] world will miss you… and patiently await your return. How do you feel about New York?" 

In response, Debnam-Carey tweeted, "thank you!! means the world coming from you. Bad bitches 4 Eva. New York is the best. I love it here xx."

Debnam-Carey confirmed her exit from Fear in a statement published on social media after Alicia's last episode, titled "Amina," ended with her on a solo mission to help the survivors trapped in radioactive fallout in Texas. 

"I was 21 when we began this crazy journey but now at 28, after 7 years and 100 episodes, I decided it was time for me to move on as an actor and as a person," she wrote in part. "As is the nature of our jobs I needed to seek out new challenges, new opportunities and carve out a new chapter for myself. I have been so lucky to be a part of something so awesome for so long but I hope you can understand and respect my choice to further expand and grow. I wouldn't be here without you all and I am so grateful." 

Isle of the Dead will shoot this summer in Manhattan with AMC's TWDU chief content officer Scott Gimple (The Walking Dead: World Beyond) executive producing with showrunner and series creator Eli Jorné (The Walking Dead). Joining Morgan and Cohan is Walking Dead Universe newcomer Gaius Charles (Grey's Anatomy) as the third series lead. 

Per AMC, "Isle of the Dead envisions the popular Maggie and Negan characters traveling into a post-apocalyptic Manhattan long ago cut off from the mainland. The crumbling city is filled with the dead and denizens who have made New York City their own world full of anarchy, danger, beauty, and terror." 

The Walking Dead airs its final eight episodes this fall; Isle of the Dead is set to premiere in 2023 on AMC and AMC+.  

Follow @CameronBonomolo on Twitter and @NewsOfTheDead for TWD Universe coverage all season long. 

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