In a strange move that has a chance at being a first in TV history, or at least one of the rarer things to happen, an actor is leaving a series to join its spinoff. In this case, actor Lennie James, who plays Morgan on The Walking Dead, is departing the show at the end of its current eighth season to join the spinoff, Fear The Walking Dead.
This move had been teased, as Talking Dead revealed a character would crossover to the other series, but it was believed to be a one-off scenario, or perhaps with the ability to jump between shows. As it turns out, James, who debuted on The Walking Dead all the way back in the pilot episode, will start on Fear The Walking Dead at the beginning of its fourth season, set to air in 2018.
The question then remains: what is Morgan’s fate in the current season of The Walking Dead? He could conceivably be killed off as the spinoff series takes place in an entirely different, earlier timeline than the main show.
Showrunner Scott M. Gimple said there’s still “a lot of story” left for Morgan on the main series, adding “Morgan’s arc on The Walking Dead Season 8 positioned him for the story on Fear. It was also important to see Fear’s world and characters through new yet familiar eyes”.
This might be viewed as a ploy to drum up ratings for Fear, as after a strong start its ratings have sharply declined. Though the main show isn’t doing so hot either, which is not too surprising considering it is currently airing an eighth season with seemingly no end in sight. We’ll wait and see whether this move will help either series.
#Peace.Love.TheWalkingDead
