“All Out War” is right. Longtime ‘Walking Dead’ cast member Lauren Cohan, who has played Maggie Rhee (née Greene) since Season Two, has been in a stalled negotiation to return for Season Nine. Reportedly, Cohan, easily one of the show’s biggest stars, has been unhappy with the low ball offers that AMC has been giving her to return. There had been rumblings that Cohan asked to be paid as much as male costars Andrew Lincoln and Norman Reedus, but while it appears this was brought up, she didn’t actually expect that result.
So Cohan and her agents made her available for new pilots. Reportedly Cohan became one of the most in-demand actors of pilot season and was offered a multitude of potential projects. She signed on to star in the ABC action pilot ‘Whiskey Cavalier’ opposite Scott Foley. On the series, Cohan will play a badass CIA operative named Francesca “Frankie” Trowbridge. So what does that mean? Will AMC be forced to kill off another long running fan favorite so soon after killing Carl? They very well may have to.
It had been speculated that Cohan was just using the pilot offers as a bargaining tool in order to get AMC to elevate their offers, but the fact that she signed on the dotted line indicates that she is serious about leaving. Season Eight has already wrapped, so Maggie will not get killed off in the season finale, because otherwise, Cohan wouldn’t have been in this negotiation for S9. But reportedly her ABC contract is amenable and would allow her to return to ‘TWD’ in a limited capacity should ‘Whiskey Cavalier’ get picked up to series. That would most likely mean that she would be allowed to return to ‘The Walking Dead’ for a limited number of S9 episodes in order to wrap up Maggie’s storyline. There are a lot of variables here. She could return if she wants to, but she may not. And if ‘Whiskey Cavalier’ does not get picked up to series, it’s also possible that she could return to ‘TWD’ full time. But it’s entirely possible that ‘TWD’ won’t take her back after what could be viewed as a betrayal.
One of Cohan’s ‘TWD’ costars, Khary Payton, who plays King Ezekiel took to Instagram to show his support, posting a pic of Maggie behind bars, with the caption “Pay the woman.”
This is somewhat more gut wrenching than one of those famous ‘Walking Dead’ cliffhangers. What would happen if Cohan simply doesn’t come back? How would they explain Maggie’s absence? Killing her off screen would be incredibly unsatisfying. Maggie has been part of the show for most of its existence and her romance with Glen was one of the most significant storylines on the series. With Glen gone and now Carl, Maggie is one of the few remaining core characters. She deserves a proper send-off.
What do you think? Are you ready to say goodbye to Maggie?
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
