Rick Grimes is gone (for now). Maggie Greene is also gone (and also for now). Andrew Lincoln and Lauren Cohan were arguably the two biggest stars on The Walking Dead — he left to spend more time with his family; she departed to star in ABC’s Whiskey Cavalier — so who’s going to step up and take over as the series lead(s)? Based on recent contract negotiations, we might have an idea.
Norman Reedus and Melissa McBride, who play Daryl and Carol, respectively, have “signed rich new deals” to stay with The Walking Dead for years to come, according to The Hollywood Reporter. “Sources say the pacts will cover three years of the franchise as a whole, meaning if their characters are written off of the flagship and relocated to another property in the Walking Dead franchise — or depart completely — they would continue to get paid.” Reedus and McBride aren’t the only cast members to make bank: Danai Gurira (Michonne), whose profile has increased significantly in 2018 due to the success of Black Panther and Avengers: Infinity War, is also currently in negotiations for a new deal:
Sources say Reedus will make $350,000 per episode on top of additional guarantees and advances in a deal that sources say could be worth anywhere from $50 million to $90 million. McBride’s deal, which is said to include a sizable pay bump, will see the actress score an estimated $20 million over three years. Gurira, meanwhile, is currently negotiating a new deal with AMC that could be complicated by her status as a breakout actress.
Not too shabby for three actors whose most prominent pre-Walking Dead role was… The Boondock Saints? Anyway, in the immediate Rick- and Maggie-less future, it looks like Daryl, Carol, and Michonne will be leading the charge. Sorry, Jerry. Maybe if you stick around for a few more years, or decades.
(Via The Hollywood Reporter)