With the second season of "The Walking Dead" only weeks away, AMC has announced a new cast member who will presumably appear near the later part of the season.
Entertainment Weekly is reporting that Michael Zegen has been signed to a recurring role in "The Walking Dead' as Randall, whom the network describes as "a skinny Southern kid who finds himself in a rather unique set of post-apocalypse circumstances." The character is not present in the original "Walking Dead" comics and he was created for the show.
Zegen is presumably best known for playing Damein Keefe over five seasons on "Rescue Me," as well as his roles in "Adventureland," "The Box" and his upcoming stint on "Boardwalk Empire" as Bugsy Siegel.
AMC also announced that it will debut "Talking Dead," a new live talk show that will air immediately after the encore presentation of "The Walking Dead." Chris Hardwick will host the series as he talks to actors and producers from the series, as well as fans while recapping the latest episodes and incorporating comments from users online..
“As an enormous fan of both The Walking Dead comic and television show, I pretty much begged for this job,” said Hardwick in a statement. “Dissecting the moves of Rick Grimes and the remaining survivors after every episode is something I would be doing with my friends anyway, so the fact that AMC is actually paying me to do so is a bonus.”
Hardwick was one of the co-hosts of MTV's "Singled Out" before going on to host "Weird Science" for PBS, "Web Soup" for G4 and the popular "Nerdist" podcast. Hardwick is also a writer for Wired and the "Gadget Pr0n" segments on G4's "Attack of the Show." Earlier this year, Hardwick signed a deal with BBC America to film a "Nerdist" TV pilot while also shooting interstitials for BBC America's "Ministry of Laughs" comedy lineup.
"The Walking Dead" will debut its second season premiere on Sunday October, 16 with the first episode of "Talking Dead" bowing later that night.
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