'Walking Dead' Companion Series Sets Kim Dickens as Female Lead 

AMC has set “Gone Girl” scene-stealer Kim Dickens as the female lead for the upcoming “Walking Dead” companion series pilot,

She’ll star alongside Cliff Curtis in the spinoff, which will take place in the same universe as AMC’s blockbuster zombie hit, but on the West Coast instead of around Georgia.

Dickens is believed to be playing guidance counselor Nancy Tompkins: “A thirtysomething single mom to two kids, Nancy looks like the girl next door, but there’s an edge to her.” Frank Dillane and Alycia Debnam Carey were previously announced and are set to play Nancy’s children — Nick, Nancy’s screwed up teenage son who is too old to stay home, but too scared to flee; and Ashley, Nancy’s mostly level-headed teenage daughter, whose ambition is in direct proportion to her older brother’s failures. AMC declined to confirm character details.

In addition to her role in David Fincher’s “Gone Girl,” Dickens was a regular on HBO’s “Deadwood,” with stints on “Friday Night Lights,” “Treme” and “Sons of Anarchy.” She is represented by Gersh.

Executive producers on the new show include “Walking Dead” exec producers Robert Kirkman, Gale Anne Hurd and David Alpert. The series is produced by AMC Studios. Dave Erickson co-created and co-wrote the pilot with Kirkman, and serves as executive producer and showrunner.

Variety’s sister site, Deadline, first reported Dickens’ casting.

Want Entertainment News First? Sign up for Variety Alerts and Newsletters!

When will television realize that you actually can cast a male in a strong competent role again? Just look at virtually every TV show on the air and you will find “level headed” women, strong, athletic, smart, etc and man that are either weak, fat, dumb or incompetent. Talk about trying to prove the PC ness of TV.

I am NOT saying that these categories are not good just getting a little monotonous.

See: The Walking Dead, Breaking Bad, True Detective, Game of Thrones, pretty much any superhero show, The Supranos, etc. You may have a bit of confirmation bias here. Or you exclusively watch sitcoms.

That’s ridiculous. Would you say Rick in the original Walking Dead is weak? What about Glenn, Herschel or Daryl? These guys are strong, tough and heroic.

Rick was taken from the comic book. It wasn’t a new property.

Wonder if there doing the story arc of the two on the bridge in the game the walking dead by teltell games?

Good luck finding a Daryl Dixon in the Hollywood Hills to make this show worth watching.

I knew they would find a way to screw it up with a spinoff! Nothing can beat the original!

A spinoff?? “Limping Dead”? “Not quite Dead”? “West Coast Walking Dead”?