Lauren Cohan, also known as Maggie Greene in the show, may no longer be a part of "The Walking Dead" past this season. The actress' contract expires after season 8 and while she has yet to sign in for more, reports suggest her deal with AMC remains "far apart."
Cohan is reportedly not seeking salary parity with male leads Andrew Lincoln (Rick Grimes) and Norman Reedus (Daryl Dixon), but she is said to be unhappy with the network's pay offers. Per Hollywood Reporter, she is now looking for her next project and has been receiving a number of pilot offers.
Both the network and the actress have not confirmed anything yet, but showrunner Scott Gimple recently shared his two cents on Cohan's potential departure. He acknowledged the situation, saying "these things do happen in TV" but he is keeping his fingers crossed that she will re-sign for "The Walking Dead" season 9.
"Lauren is an actor who has such intuition and such power," Gimple told TV Line. "So yeah, hopefully, it all works out."
It would be such a waste if Cohan leaves the show. Her character Maggie is nearly as O.G. as Rick, Daryl, and Carol (Melissa McBride), after all. Plus, she has been through hell since Glenn's (Steven Yeun) death in season 7. Most fans believe she deserves a nice moment of peace, especially with the impending arrival of her child.
Then again, her pregnancy is by no means any guarantee that she will stick around. Lori (Sarah Wayne Callies), for instance, died in childbirth. If anything, the show could go down that route again.
It remains to be seen if Cohan indeed leaves the show and which project she would accept post-TWD, but she would not be the first cast member to pull such ploy. Senequa Martin Greene, who portrayed Sasha for a couple of seasons, also left "The Walking Dead" previously to lead CBS' "Star Trek Discovery." Her new show has been doing well, so far.
Regardless of Cohan's decision, the show will still see a massive shake-up as Gimple is handing over the reins to Angela Kang, who will be the first female showrunner of the AMC drama for the start of season nine.
"The Walking Dead" season 8 continues on Sunday, Feb. 25 at 9 pm EST on AMC.
