Seth Hoffman and Lauren Cohan preview Maggie and Negan’s new direction
Summary
– The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 3 will feature an alternate-reality episode
– Seth Hoffman said the episode explores Maggie and Negan in a world without walkers
– Lauren Cohan said Maggie is moving beyond grief as her dynamic with Negan changes
The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 3 is bringing Maggie and Negan into new territory.
The AMC spinoff returns July 26, with showrunner Seth Hoffman and stars Lauren Cohan and Jeffrey Dean Morgan teasing a season built around change, unlikely partnerships, and one major alternate-reality episode.
The biggest twist is the special episode that imagines who Maggie and Negan might have become if the walker apocalypse never happened. Hoffman said the idea gives fans a chance to see the characters from a very different angle.
“I hope I can look at this show from a fan’s perspective, and there was one thing they wanted to see – characters that maybe we haven’t seen for a long time. You get to see who Maggie and Negan would have been if the apocalypse hadn’t happened. Despite the terrible trauma and all the things they have done, you get to ask the question: Are they better off having gone through a zombie apocalypse?”
Lauren Cohan previously teased that the alternate reality story is emotional and uplifting. She said the cast had an amazing time filming it.
“There’s a little bit of an alternate reality that we explore [in Season 3] in ‘Dead City,’ and it’s as emotional and uplifting as you would expect. We had the most amazing time.”
Season 3 will also push Maggie and Negan into a new phase. After years of hate, pain, and survival, the two characters are finally forced to work together in New York City.
Morgan said this is the strongest season of the series so far because Maggie and Negan’s relationship is no longer stuck in the same place.
“This is our best season – by far. This is such a different relationship now.”
Morgan said Negan remains the same character fans met years ago, but more layers have been added over time. He said the shift with Maggie brings out another side of him.
“Negan was a great villain, and now he just got more layers. He will always be this person that walked out of a trailer 11 years ago, but he’s more multidimensional. This year there’s such a shift in their relationship that brings out yet another side of him. That’s why I want to play him. It’s still new to me, every year. Who would do a series with two enemies who wanted to kill each other? And yet here we are.”
Cohan said Maggie is finally reaching a point where grief can no longer define her. That change started through her relationship with her son, Hershel, and now opens the door for something different with Negan.
“This is really the first year when Maggie recognizes that to be defined by grief doesn’t serve her anymore. It started in Season 2 with her son – she knew that something had to change, which was very uncomfortable. There’s something bigger: a bigger purpose. We are these unlikely allies that realize how much they can rely on each other and how much they know each other. The irony of their relationship, with how they met, is interesting.”
Morgan said it was time for Maggie and Negan’s dynamic to evolve after years of anger between them.
“We played as much hate as we could over the last 10 years. Now, we have known each other longer than anyone else alive. To survive, they need each other, and that was a big revelation. To see Maggie smile was so nice – haven’t seen it in 10 years! To have scenes that have genuine meaning and depth, it was amazing. We got to see new sides of each other. She didn’t even stab me one time!”
Morgan also spoke about Lucille, calling the bat the only acting prop he has truly loved. He said it changes how he carries himself as Negan.
“Lucille is Lucille. It’s the only prop I’ve ever had as an actor that I really love. It changes my posture and the way I talk. I am not really Negan, I know it’s a shock, but she indicated this character for me.”
Hoffman also revealed that Season 3 will do something new with the walkers. The season will feature recurring walker characters with names and some personality.
“This season, we are exploring the humanity of the Walkers. We have recurring Walker characters that have names and personalities, to some extent. We also want people to think: ‘This is still ‘The Walking Dead,’ but it’s also brand new.’”
That approach gives Dead City a chance to feel familiar while still taking risks. Between the alternate-reality episode, Maggie’s emotional shift, Negan’s new layers, and a different view of walkers, Season 3 appears ready to push the spinoff into bold new territory.
