Avi Nash and Callan McAuliffe Upgraded to Series Regulars for Season 9 of 'Walking Dead' | THR News - video Dailymotion

Avi Nash and Callan McAuliffe will have increased screen time in the forthcoming run of the AMC zombie drama.

Transcript

00:00Get ready to see more of Sadiq and Alden on The Walking Dead.

00:03The AMC show has promoted actors Avi Nash and Callan McAuliffe to series regular status.

00:08Nash and McAuliffe both arrived in season 8 as Sadiq and Alden.

00:12The pair of actors have been upgraded from recurring to series regulars for the upcoming

00:16ninth season of the zombie drama. Nash's Sadiq first appeared in the season 8 premiere

00:21when he crossed paths with Rick, played by Andrew Lincoln, and Carl, played by Chandler Riggs.

00:26After Rick drives him away, Carl later crosses paths with Sadiq and helps him kill a few walkers,

00:31but is bitten in the process. Carl effectively died, saving Sadiq's life as part of his larger goal

00:37to strive for what comes after the war between the living between Rick and Negan,

00:41played by Jeffrey Dean Morgan. While Sadiq is an important character in creator Robert Kirkman's

00:45comic book series, on which the series is based, the AMC show has remixed his storyline.

00:50Unlike his story on the page, AMC's Sadiq is a doctor, meaning Carl died saving

00:56the life of a man who can help save others. Meanwhile, McAuliffe plays Alden, a former member

01:00of Negan's Saviors who surrendered to Maggie's, aka Lauren Cohan's, Hilltop Community,

01:05and was held as a prisoner. Since then, he displayed an even hand and has worked hard to prove

01:10that he was never really on board with the Saviors. While there is no character in the comics

01:15named Alden, it's very likely he's a remixed version of Dante, an eventual love interest for Maggie.

01:20Nash and McAuliffe's promotions follow an eighth season that parted ways with series regulars

01:25Riggs and Steven Ogg. For both Nash and McAuliffe, this marks their first series regular roles.

01:30The Walking Dead season 9 premieres in October. A formal return date will be announced

01:34at San Diego Comic Con this summer. For all the latest Walking Dead news, be sure to head to

01:38thr.com slash walkingdead. And let us know if you're excited to see more of Sadiq and Alden

01:43next season in the comments. Until next time, for The Hollywood Reporter News, I'm Tiffany Taylor.