frank-dillane.net; Getty ImagesThe Walking Dead companion series is taking shape! E! News can confirm Frank Dillane and Alycia Debnam Carey have joined the cast of the pilot.
The new series from comic book scribe and TV series executive producer Robert Kirkman and Dave Erickson will follow a new group of survivors in a new location during the zombie apocalypse that has besieged viewers since The Walking Dead began in 2010.
News of a spinoff/companion series first surfaced in 2013, but AMC officially ordered a pilot for the project in 2014.
"There are many corners of The Walking Dead universe that remain unseen in the shadows. Being given the opportunity to shine a light into those corners and see what lurks out there is an absolute thrill. I know the fans are anxious to hear what Dave and I have been cooking up for this new universe of The Walking Dead, and I'm happy to be one step closer to sharing it with them," Kirkman said in a statement when AMC announced the pilot.
Gale Anne Hurd and David Alpert are also on board as executive producers with Erickson serving as showrunner.
Dillane has only a handful of credited roles, including playing the young Tom Riddle in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Carey is also relatively new to the screen with roles in Into the Storm and The Devil's Hand. Deadline first reported their casting.
The Walking Dead recently aired its midseason finale with close to 15 million viewers tuning in. Now in its fifth season, the series is one of the most-watched shows on TV.
If The Walking Dead companion pilot makes it to series, it will join Breaking Bad's Better Call Saul as spinoffs of AMC's successful shows. The Breaking Bad prequel follows Bob Odenkirk's Saul Goodman before he tangled with Walter White (Bryan Cranston) and Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul). Better Call Saul debuts in February 2015 and AMC has already ordered a second season.