As The Walking Dead slowly but surely heads towards its eleventh season, we’re starting to hear more about the cast. Limitless and Constantine star Michael James Shaw is the latest to be cast in the drama.
While best known for his roles on the small screen, Michael James Shaw has also featured in some big movies. For example, in Avengers: Infinity War, he played Corvus Glaive. Now, thanks to a report by Deadline, the actor will join the AMC zombie universe as Mercer. His character is the powerful de-facto leader of the Commonwealth military. Fans have known for a while that Mercer would enter the show. In the comics, the character is an important part of the Commonwealth story arc. He’s also a love interest of Princess (Paola Lázaro), another character relatively new to the show.
It’s a pretty impressive casting, with Michael James Blake bearing a resemblance to his comic book counterpart. All we need to do now is see him in that famous Commonwealth armor:
The accuracy 😮 #TWD pic.twitter.com/WKxy3PNDX4
— The Walking Dead (@TheWalkingDead) March 2, 2021
Michael James Shaw is the first of many new characters joining the show for its final season. No other important Commonwealth characters have been cast yet. However, fans of the graphic novels are awaiting the casting later of people such as Pamela Milton, and her son Sebastian.
The Walking Dead season 11 will be extended to 24 episodes rather than its customary 16. Sadly, it will be the final season before the franchise moves on to a spinoff-filled future. This falls in line with the comic book, which concluded after the Commonwealth story arc with issue #193.
AMC is currently airing the six additional episodes of The Walking Dead, serving as an extension to season 10. With an anthology format, these episodes tell stories of individual characters. Last week saw Maggie’s first full episode back after some time out. In a few weeks, we’ll even get a Negan origin story!
What do you think of Michael James Shaw being cast in The Walking Dead? Let me know in the comments below!