It’s bad enough that fans of The Walking Dead will soon have to come to terms with saying goodbye to young Carl Grimes, but now we’re hearing that Lauren Cohan’s Maggie might be next. Granted, there’s been nothing happening on the show that points to her meeting her end, but a new report from Deadline sheds some light on what’s been going on behind the scenes lately, and it’s certainly a bit concerning.
Apparently, the actress’ contract is up at the end of season 8 and she’s now looking for a pay increase, one which will put her in the same ballpark as Andrew Lincoln and Norman Reedus. AMC has refused, however, and will only agree to a minor raise. From what we understand, Cohan isn’t interested in that and is still fighting for a higher salary. And though she may very well get it, Deadline is reporting that she’s also been speaking with other networks and entertaining offers from different TV shows, meaning she isn’t 100% set on returning to The Walking Dead.
Again, for all we know, negotiations could go through and the two parties may be able to work out a deal, but as it stands, it sounds like there’s a very real chance Maggie won’t be with us in season 9, and that’d certainly be a shame given how popular the character is. Not to mention how great Cohan is in the role, with the actress’ part being increased in importance ever since the death of Glenn.
Hopefully, the fact that she’s talking with other networks is just a tactic to gain some leverage on AMC and she’s not actually serious about leaving. That being said, we really can’t say for sure what’s going on behind closed doors and as of now, we’re definitely a bit concerned. After all, with so many major character deaths in recent years, it’d be a big blow to the fanbase to have to deal with losing Maggie.
For now, we’ll just have to wait and see what happens and hope for the best. AMC knows how important Cohan is to The Walking Dead and after the backlash they’ve seen due to Carl’s exit, we’d be surprised if they dropped another key figure of the show. That doesn’t mean they won’t do it, of course, but until we get any further updates, we’d advise not to get too worried.
