'Fear The Walking Dead' Cast Adds Former 'Southland' Star Shawn Hatosy Ahead Of Premiere

The cast of AMC’s “Walking Dead” companion series, “Fear the Walking Dead,” just keeps getting bigger. Fresh off of some recent cast photos, the zombie apocalypse series is adding Shawn Hatosy to the mix.

According to Deadline, the 39-year-old actor has been confirmed to join the cast of the first season of the upcoming AMC drama. He’ll reportedly play "a well-intentioned but out of his element military man with a soulful disposition.” Hatosy gained recognition in another Los Angeles-based drama, “Southland.” Recently, he earned a Critic’s Choice Award for his role on the series. His previous credits also include “John Q,” “Alpha Dogs,” “Anywhere But Here” and the pilot for CBS’ “Justice.”

Hatosy will join the already packed “Fear the Walking Dead” cast, which includes: Kim Dickens, Cliff Curtis, Alycia Debnam-Carey, Frank Dillane, Elizabeth Rodriguez, Lorenzo James Hernia, Ruben Blades and Mercedes Mason. Variety reports that all of them will be in attendance at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con to promote the show.

“Fear the Walking Dead” will act as a companion series to “The Walking Dead” rather than a spinoff. It takes place several weeks before the first episode of the original show when Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) is asleep in the hospital. Series creator Robert Kirkman recently shared some details about the new group of survivors as well as how this show will live in tandem with “The Walking Dead” when it returns.

Precious little is known about the new characters coming to the series other than that the show will focus on two single parents coming together in dire times to unite their children in the hopes of surviving the budding zombie apocalypse. As of right now, it’s unclear how Hatosy’s military character will fit into that dynamic, but fans of the world Kirkman created know that there’s tons of surprises lurking around every corner.

“Fear the Walking Dead” will premiere in August for a six-episode Season 1, much in the same way “The Walking Dead” premiered. However, the companion series has already been green lit for a second season that will run the standard 16 episodes.

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