Lauren Cohan (Maggie, 'The Walking Dead') signs on for ABC drama pilot

Lauren Cohan (Maggie). CREDIT: Rodney Ho/ rho@ajc.com

Credit: Rodney Ho

Credit: Rodney Ho

Lauren Cohan (Maggie). CREDIT: Rodney Ho/ rho@ajc.com

Posted Tuesday, February 20, 2018 by RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com on his AJC Radio & TV Talk blog

Lauren Cohan has been cast as a co star in an ABC pilot called "Whiskey Cavalier" with Scott Foley of "Scandal" fame, which raises a big question about the future of Maggie on "The Walking Dead."

Deadline.com, which broke the story, made it sound like the ABC's show schedule might not fully interfere with "The Walking Dead," which usually returns in the spring and runs through November.

Her contract is up with "The Walking Dead" and she has not been able to negotiate a new deal with them. She started with the show, shot largely in Senoia, season two as a recurring character and became a regular season three.

Right now, if the ABC series is picked up, she might have to be reduced to a recurring character on "The Walking Dead" or killed off. It's unclear what is going to happen. ABC will shoot a pilot and announce whether the show will make the 2018-19 schedule by May.

Here's how the show is described: FBI agent Will Chase (codename: Whiskey Cavalier) — played by Foley — who, following an emotional break-up, is assigned to work with quick, cunning and completely fearless CIA operative Francesca “Frankie” Trowbridge (codename: Fiery Tribune) — played by Cohan. Together, they lead an inter-agency team of spies who periodically save the world (and each other) while navigating the rocky roads of friendship, romance and office politics.

If the ABC show ends up shooting in metro Atlanta, which nowadays is always in play for a TV series, that might make it easier for Cohan to juggle both roles. On "The Walking Dead," most series regulars are not in all the episodes anyway. She appeared in only four of the first eight episodes this season and she is not expected to show up in episode nine this Sunday either.