Pollyanna McIntosh (Jadis) talks returning on Rick and Michonne's Walking Dead show

2023 has been a big year for The Walking Dead Universe. Following the conclusion of the main series after 11 seasons in 2022, this year has been all about building out the franchise and branching into new, uncharted territories. From post-apocalyptic Manhattan in Dead City to Daryl Dixon's adventures in France, the series has gone global.

In 2024, perhaps the most highly anticipated spinoff of all will air. Beloved franchise stars Andrew Lincoln (Rick Grimes) and Danai Gurira (Michonne) will return in The Ones Who Live. The series also marks the return of Jadis (Pollyanna McIntosh), who's story is "bigger" and "crazier" than ever.

Jadis was the character who saved Rick Grimes from certain death in the original Walking Dead show, transporting him to the Civic Republic. In an appearance in The Walking Dead: World Beyond season 2, Jadis is revealed to be a high ranking officer in the Civic Republic.

Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Walking Dead boss Scott Gimple teased that Jadis' story is very important to the new series. “Jadis has had one of the bigger journeys in the TWDU,” he said. “AndThe Ones Who Live pushes her story into crazier, unexpected places.”

Moreover, McIntosh revealed that, despite appearing in World Beyond, the plan was always for her to fully explore Jadis' story in Rick Grimes' show. "Yeah, it was always going to be Rick's story with Jadis and Michonne," she said. "Certainly, I knew it would be Jadis and Rick. And then of course I figured you've got to have Michonne in there. And because that hadn't happened inWorld Beyond,I knew that we'd still have this coming."

There's no disputing that Andrew Lincoln's Rick Grimes is very much the face of the Walking Dead franchise. To have him back on set and giving it everything made the project an immensely satisfying experience for McIntosh:

"Oh, it was just wicked. It was truly like the band's back together. Being that character and getting to connect with another actor and getting to fully go there is just the greatest joy of my work. And Andy is one of those actors who is fully present. He's fully there, he's fully in the scene, he's fully in the character. Anything can happen. There's such a freedom to it. And so getting to see him again was just a delight."

As for what we can expect from the series, McIntosh teases a vastly different setting. "The setting and the locations are very different," she said. "The spirit is all there. I'd say it's a lot of action, it's a lot of pathos, and it's a whole lot of love."

The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live premieres February 25, 2024 on AMC.

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