A zombie apocalypse reunion is coming to Robert Kirkman's new show, with no fewer than six veterans of The Walking Dead assembling to tackle roles for Amazon's Invincible. The Walking Dead cast members range from those who were killed off years ago to those who are still alive and as well as can be in the zombie apocalypse, and they join the already-announced Khary Payton. So, who will be part of Invincible?
The new series will feature Lauren Cohan (The Walking Dead's Maggie Rhee) as War Woman, Chad Coleman (Tyreese) as Martian Man, the very red-headed Michael Cudlitz (Abraham) as Red Rush, Lennie James (Morgan, now on Fear the Walking Dead) as Darkwing, Ross Marquand (Aaron) as The Immortal & Aquarius, and Sonequa Martin-Green as Green Ghost. Khary Payton, who of course plays Ezekiel on The Walking Dead, is on board as Black Samson.
While so many current and former Walking Dead cast members coming back together for a Robert Kirkman project is exciting, it's worth noting that Invincible will be an animated series, with these zombie apocalypse alums lending their voices. That said, there are reasons why these actors are significant as additions to Invincible. The show will be based on Robert Kirkman's book of the same name, and Kirkman himself announced the castings at his Comic-Con@Home virtual panel. He shared:
If you know anything about Invincible, and anything about the Guardians of the Globe and the story of Invincible, there is an extra significance for having Walking Dead actors play all of these characters, which I think is very fun and very exciting. And I can’t wait for you to all see that series when it debuts on Amazon Prime in the future.
The Invincible comic series hasn't achieved the same level of fame as Robert Kirkman's The Walking Dead series even before the AMC series launched, but prospective viewers shouldn't assume that it's for kids just because the show is animated and just because it won't take place in the zombie apocalypse. The comics were known to get graphic, and adults are presumably the target demographic with this show.
The comics, which launched back in 2003 and ran for 144 issues before ending in February 2018, centered on Markus Grayson, the son of a novelist who is actually Omni-Man, an extraterrestrial superhero. Mark's own super powers begin to manifest when he turns 17, and he ultimately begins to train under his father under the superhero name of "Invincible."
An adaptation of Invincible has been in the works as far back as April 2017, although it was originally intended to be a movie with Seth Rogan and Evan Goldberg. Then, in June 2019, news broke that Robert Kirkman's Invincible would become a TV show at Amazon with an order for an eight-episode first season.
All of this said, potential viewers shouldn't count on seeing Invincible debut with so many members of the Walking Dead cast on board any time too soon. Neither Amazon nor Robert Kirkman have announced a premiere window, let alone a hard premiere date. Production halted through much of the entertainment industry earlier this year, but hopefully Invincible's status as an animated series means that production could continue.
For now, fans of Robert Kirkman adaptations can always check out The Walking Dead. The first nine seasons are currently available streaming on Netflix, and executive producer Angela Kang dropped some intriguing news about what remains of Season 10. You can find more viewing options now and in the coming weeks on our 2020 summer TV premiere schedule.
