Lauren Cohan joins 'Whiskey Cavalier' pilot at ABC, eyes 'Walking Dead' exit
The Walking Dead officially has a major Maggie problem: After weeks of speculation, Lauren Cohan has indeed attached herself to a new TV project — in this case, the Bill Lawrence-produced ABC action-dramedy pilot Whiskey Cavalier. An ABC rep confirms that Cohan is set as the project’s female lead opposite Scandal vet Scott Foley.
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The potential series centers on the adventures of Foley’s FBI agent Will Chase (codename: Whiskey Cavalier) who, following an emotional break-up, is assigned to work with Cohan’s quick and cunning CIA operative Francesca “Frankie” Trowbridge (codename: Fiery Tribune). Together, they lead an inter-agency team of spies who periodically save the world (and each other) while navigating the rocky roads of friendship, romance and office politics.
As previously reported, Cohan — whose Walking Dead contract expires at the end of the AMC thriller’s current eighth season — had been fielding numerous pilot offers. Current Walking Dead showrunner Scott Gimple recently told TVLine that he was “incredibly hopeful” Cohan would choose to stick with the zombie smash, although the EP acknowledged that a Maggie-less Season 9 was a possibility. “These things do happen in TV,” he said. “But we’re talking.”
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An insider, meanwhile, tells TVLine that Cohan’s Walking Dead exit is not necessarily a fait accompli. For starters, there’s no guarantee that Whiskey Cavalier will be ordered to series. If it fails to earn such a pickup (we’ll find out for sure in May when ABC announces its fall schedule), the actress would, conceivably, be free to return to Walking Dead. And, per our sister site Deadline, even if Whiskey does move forward, it’s possible Cohan could play Maggie on a recurring basis.
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