AMC’s latest attempt to milk money from the Walking Dead franchise is expected to premiere later this year.
Tales of the Walking Dead, yet another spin-off of Robert Kirkman’s popular comic, will present the latest foray into a post-apocalyptic, zombie-filled future. The series marks the fourth show set within the Walking Dead universe and stars a stellar cast of talented actors.
Tales of the Walking Dead cast
Very few of the known characters from The Walking Dead, or its 2015 spin-off Fear the Walking Dead, will appear in Tales of the Walking Dead. An almost entirely new cast is set to venture into Kirkman’s zombie-infested world, led by X-Men: Apocalypse‘s Olivia Munn.
Olivia Munn
Helming the series as a regular in the first season’s six hour-long episodes is Olivia Munn. The former Newsroom actress has a long history in Hollywood, but only recently began pivoting into more prominent, mainstream roles. Her aforementioned stint on HBO’s stellar ode to journalism isn’t as well known by most as much as her memorable stint as Psylocke in X-Men: Apocalypse or her longstanding presence in Disney’s Mission Force One.
Munn is slated to appear in several of the first season’s six episodes, according to IMDb, but has yet to get an official character name.
Samantha Morton
Returning to her role as the sinister Alpha, Samantha Morton will also appear in AMC’s latest Walking Dead series. Morton first appeared in season 9 of the original Walking Dead series, debuting as one of the season’s primary antagonists. Morton’s portrayal added yet another vicious, sadistic villain to the franchise’s stacked ranks, delighting viewers over the course of a season and a half.
Morton, aside from being easily recognizable to TWD viewers, has also starred in a range of films and television series. She appeared as Agatha in the original 2002 Minority Report before pivoting to children’s television with Max & Ruby, and even joined the cast of 2016’s Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.
Terry Crews
Arguably the most popular name on this list, Terry Crews is set to immensely boost the star power in Tales of the Walking Dead. The actor is only set to appear in a single episode of the first season, but his mere presence is certain to enlarge the show’s viewership. Crews has found immense popularity over the years, thanks in large part to roles in series like Brooklyn Nine-Nine and his history in football.
Crews is set to play the character of James Sampson in Tales of the Walking Dead. No further details about his character are currently available, but he is currently only slated to appear in the show’s pilot episode.
Embeth Davidtz
Another longstanding favorite, Embeth Davidtz will join the Tales of the Walking Dead cast fresh off the broad success in Apple TV’s popular The Morning Show. Davidtz has been a staple of the film and television world for decades, and still summons nostalgia thanks to her work in 1996’s Matilda.
Like Munn, Davidtz is yet to get an official character name for her Tales of the Walking Dead appearance. However, unlike Crews, she’s slated to appear in several episodes of the first season.
Danny Ramirez
Danny Ramirez’s quickly-rising stardom is set to boost Tales of the Walking Dead even further, with the actor set to join the cast for half of the first season. Ramirez is a relatively recent addition to Hollywood, entering the scene in 2015, but has since cinched several high-profile roles in shows like Falcon and the Winter Soldier and Hulu’s No Exit.
Ramirez is bringing his fresh popularity to three Tales of the Walking Dead episodes, in an as-yet-unnamed role. He’s also set to appear in a number of other 2022 releases, including The Stars at Noon and Root Letter.
Jessie T. Usher
One of the most currently-relevant names in Tales of the Walking Dead, Jessie T. Usher joins the cast fresh off the hype around Amazon Prime’s The Boys. The 30-year-old actor portrays A-Train in the popular series and is pivoting from the superhero series’ ongoing success to lend his star power to AMC’s new Walking Dead spin-off.
Usher, like the other actors listed thus far — apart from Crews — is currently slated to appear in three Tales of the Walking Dead episodes, making him a regular in the upcoming season.
Gage Munroe
23-year-old Canadian actor Gage Munroe is another addition to the Tales of the Walking Dead cast, set to appear in three episodes across the first season. The majority of Munroe’s contributions to the world of film and television have featured the actor’s voice, rather than his face, which means he’s more recognizable for roles in films like Hotel Transylvania: The Series than for films like 2021’s Nobody.
Munroe is currently set to appear in the first half of season one. His character name is yet to be announced and the same goes for any details regarding his involvement with a potential season two.
Loan Chabanol
French actress Loan Chabanol will join a handful of American counterparts for a three-episode run on Tales of the Walking Dead. The Fading Gigolo actress has only appeared in a select few roles over the years and is best known in some circles for her contributions to the modelling world. Her appearances as a L’Oréal Professionnel ambassador are some of her most popular, alongside her cover shots in popular magazines like Elle.
Chabanol will join the cast in an unnamed role for the first season’s opening three episodes.
Lauren Glazier
Lauren Glazier is set to bring much of the popularity she gained from a stint on Mindhunter to Tales of the Walking Dead. The Canadian-American actress, known for her work on projects like The Chicago Seven and Red Sparrow, is set to appear in two episodes of the first season. Interestingly, IMDb indicates that she will appear in the pilot episode and the season’s final episode, perhaps as part of a set up for a second season.
Robert Tinsley
While it appears his role will have far less significance than anyone else listed here, we’d be remiss to ignore Robert Tinsley’s presence in Tales of the Walking Dead. The actor, who has a tendency to cinch sideline roles in prominent projects like Avengers: Endgame and Stranger Things, doesn’t appear to play a major character in Tales of the Walking Dead, but he is slated to appear in a full three episodes — the same number as the show’s most prominent cast members.
All that being said, Tinsley’s role is listed as “Zombie” for each of his appearances in the show. If he is merely playing a persistent zombie, the actor’s presence in the show may be extremely limited. If he plays a singularly important Walker, however, his role may be just as big as those of Munn or Morton.
Additional cast and crew
Joining Tales of the Walking Dead‘s stellar regulars are several actors making far briefer — but no less impacting — appearances. Actors like Parker Posey and Daniella Pineda are set to appear in unnamed roles, while other actors — like Anthony Edwards, Jillian Bell, and Poppy Liu — are set to appear in single episodes as named characters, though what impact they will have on the story as a whole is not known.
Separate episodes of the series will see different directors lend their talent, with several popular figures joining the crew. Haifaa Al-Mansour and Michael E. Satrazemis have both been tapped to direct episodes, as have Deborah Kampmeier and Tara Nicole Weyr.
The upcoming AMC series is currently under production, so we can expect more information and hopefully detailed character profiles of its impressive cast in the coming months before it debuts sometime in mid-2022.