What's going on on the other side of the country during the zombie apocalypse? If The Walking Dead spinoff makes it to air, it looks like we'll find out, as we now know that the AMC pilot is going to be set in Los Angeles.
TVLine reports that the in-development Walking Dead spinoff will be based in Los Angeles. That's a couple thousand miles away from where Rick and his group are trying to survive all of the zombie mayhem in the Atlanta region of the United States. There's no word yet on whether or not the pilot will be filmed in Los Angeles, or elsewhere. The Walking Dead films in Georgia, and it's set there, so we might assume the same will be the case for the companion series, but there are other places that can be made to look like Los Angeles, so who knows?
At this point, the spinoff is only in the pilot stage, however, given the continuously growing popularity of The Walking Dead, it seems fair to assume that its chances of going to series are good, barring any major issues. Not yet a series, it's also not technically a spinoff, at least as it relates to connected characters. From what we've learned about The Walking Dead "companion series," it's set in the same world and same zombie apocalypse as The Walking Dead, and will be based on another set of characters created by The Walking Dead comic creator and series EP Robert Kirkman. This is a shift away from the typical spinoff format, which usually takes one or more characters from the original series and moves them to their own show.
Set on the other side of the country, it seems like it would be difficult -- but not impossible -- to orchestrate some kind of crossover situation between the original series and the potential companion series, assuming that's even something the writers are considering. Getting around isn't as easy as it was before the zombie apocalypse. So while a character from one show could conceivably get from Los Angeles to Georgia, the likelihood that it'd happen often (if at all) seems low. But using the same zombie apocalyptic setting, there's no shortage of potential for another great series, centered on a different set of characters in a different part of the country.
What do they call walkers in Los Angeles?
Casting for the project is well underway, with the additions of Frank Dillane, Alycia Debnam Carey and Cliff Curtis already announced. The latter actor is set to play Sean Cabrera, a father, ex-husband and former teacher who's described as a good man that's trying to do the right thing. (More details about some of the other characters here!)
The Walking Dead-original is currently amidst its fifth season, and on hiatus for the holidays. The series left off with a devastating loss for the group, and fans are likely eager to see where things pick up when TWD returns for the second half of Season 5 in February.
