The Walking Dead star Norman Reedus has joined the cast of Apple TV’s new action thriller series Disavowed. Reedus’s role in the production, developed by Iron Man and Uncharted screenwriters Art Marcum and Matt Holloway, has not been disclosed. The series follows Brad Griffin (James Marsden), a CIA agent who is dismissed from duty while pursuing a fugitive assassin who killed a colleague. Cast out of the intelligence world, Griffin takes matters into his own hands to claim the 15 million dollar bounty placed on the assassin. The executive producers of the Apple Studios production include Marcum, Holloway, Tom Spezialy, Michelle MacLaren, Rebecca Hobbs and James Marsden. MacLaren, known for The Morning Show and Breaking Bad, will direct the first two episodes. Reedus also plays Daryl in The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon.
Why it matters
Reedus’s appearance in another action thriller while continuing to play Daryl shows that the actor’s television career is not limited to a single long-running role. The fact that his role has not been disclosed leaves open the question of whether his character is an ally or rival of Griffin, played by James Marsden, or connected to another element of the story. Marsden’s presence both in the lead role and among the executive producers indicates that the actor is also taking on responsibility on the creative side of the production. Marcum and Holloway’s experience in action productions, along with MacLaren directing the first two episodes, stand out as the main elements shaping the series’ creative framework.