‘The Walking Dead’ Season 9: New Cast Member Plays A Deaf Character

News is emerging that AMC’s The Walking Dead will get its first deaf character in Season 9 of the hit zombie apocalypse series.

While the zombie apocalypse can be a pretty dangerous place for those who can hear the undead approaching, it seems likely it will be extra challenging for the new deaf character who is set to arrive in Season 9 of The Walking Dead.

According to Deadline, Lauren Ridloff, who is deaf herself, will play a character called Connie. For those fans who also get their undead fix from the original source for AMC’s The Walking Dead — the comic books written by Robert Kirkman — this name is a familiar one. A character called Connie does appear in the comic book series. However, this character is not deaf. But, as Deadline points out, making a new character deaf in the TV series will add a chilling element not yet seen before.

According to the comic book series, Connie is introduced along with another character called Magna. They are first discovered in the Washington, D.C., area and soon join with Rick’s group and stay at Alexandria.

With the way Season 8 of The Walking Dead is heading, it is possible this storyline from the comics will play out in much the same way in Season 9. However, as the Express points out, with the introduction of Connie, there is also the likelihood of a storyline that sees the possible death of a much-loved character in the TV series.

With the introduction of Magna’s group in the comic book series, Andrea loses her life. While this means nothing in the TV series since Andrea is now a long-dead character, as comic fans have pointed out, Michonne seems to have filled the role Andrea did in the comic book series who didn’t die at the same point as she did in the TV series. Instead, Andrea went on to become involved with Rick Grimes, much in the way Michonne has in the TV series. Therefore, fans are now speculating that if Magna’s group arrives in Season 9 of The Walking Dead, it will mean that Michonne will die.

However, since the TV series has regularly diverged away from the comics, fans will just have to tune into Season 9 of The Walking Dead to find out more.

AMC has also released the following information in regard to the San Diego Comic-Con Walking Dead panel this weekend.

“The panelists include cast members Andrew Lincoln, Norman Reedus, Lauren Cohan, Danai Gurira, Melissa McBride, and Jeffrey Dean Morgan, along with executive producer and showrunner Angela Kang, executive producers Scott M. Gimple, Robert Kirkman, Gale Anne Hurd, David Alpert, and executive producer, director and special effects make-up supervisor, Greg Nicotero. The panel will be moderated by Yvette Nicole Brown.”

The panel will take place from 12:15 p.m. to 1:15 p.m. on Friday, July 20, in Hall H.

Season 9 of The Walking Dead will premiere on AMC later this year, with an announcement likely to be made during The Walking Dead‘s panel at San Diego Comic-Con this weekend.