- Pollyanna McIntosh is reprising her role of Jadis/Anne on “TWD: World Beyond” season two.
- Jadis was last seen flying away with Rick (Andrew Lincoln) on “TWD” season nine.
- Showrunner Matt Negrete tells Insider “TWDWB” will fill in some gaps “about what happened to her.”
After departing “TWD” in 2018, Jadis (aka Anne) is making a big return to “The Walking Dead” universe this fall.
Earlier this month, AMC announced Pollyanna McIntosh will reprise her character on “TWD: World Beyond” spin-off. Jadis, a former Scavenger leader was recalled as having left the series on an unidentified Civic Republic Military (CRM), helicopter. He would never be seen again.
“TWDWB” showrunner Matt Negrete told Insider they’ve considered introducing either Jadis or a character from another “TWD” series on the spin-off’s final second season, which returns Sunday on AMC.
“We always knew the possibility. Given the fact that we live in a universe that is connected, it was always possible that we were going to bring maybe her or someone from one of the other shows in,” Insider was told by Negrete that Jadis will be returning, but they have not revealed who else they are considering.
AMC
Though Jadis could’ve reappeared anywhere in the ever-expanding “TWD” universe, it’s fitting her return comes on “World Beyond.” Negrete wrote Jadis’ final appearance on the flagship series. He oversees her return to the apocalypse.
“The more we kind of thought about and talked about it, the more it seemed to make sense to bring her in,” Negrete stated. “As long as Jadis has been on ‘The Walking Dead,’ I’ve been on ‘Walking Dead.’ I had the privilege of writing her last episode, so it was cool to work with her again.”
Fans were shocked to see Jadis appear in a recent trailer for the final season of “TWD: World Beyond” working with the CRM and sporting a new ‘do. But where’s Rick?! And what have they been doing since last time we saw Jadis/Anne?
Negrete didn’t say much about Rick, but he gave us a small tease of what fans can expect to see from Jadis/Anne when “World Beyond” returns.
“World Beyond” will fill in some gaps about where Jadis has been and what she’s been up to in the 6-year time jump that passed since her ‘TWD’ departure
Jackson Lee Davis/AMC
Since “World Beyond” season one played a lot with flashbacks, Negrete said not to expect to see many this season.
“We’re not doing as much with flashbacks this year, but I will say that it would have been a missed opportunity to bring [McIntosh] back and not at least imply, “What made her who she is today? “What are some of those stepping stones along the six years that passed in between the time she left ‘The Walking Dead’ and appeared on our show?” Negrete stated.
It is worth noting the six years. When Jadis and Rick left “TWD,” showrunner Angela Kang confirmed to Insider the flagship series jumped ahead that same amount of time.
“World Beyond” The series begins a decade before the end. It seems like “World Beyond” and “TWD” are on similar timelines.
“Right from the get-go, we’re going to learn a little bit about what happened to her… Maybe a little bit about what she’s been through,” Negrete added about how much we’ll learn about what Jadis has been up to in “TWD” universe.
“It’s going to be done in a way that will help provide some context for the audience to help us figure out, ‘Oh, this is who you were when you left. This is who you are now.” said Negrete. “So we’ll fill in some of the gaps along the way. I believe it will help the audience understand her better than they did back when she was on “Walking Dead.”
Although you won’t learn much about Rick, Negrete and other people have spoken to him.
Gene Page/AMC
“A lot’s been talked about with Rick and where is he?” Negrete said about the former “TWD” protagonist. “Obviously, I’m not going to say anything about that, but there’s a connection that she has to him. So I do think that that brings up a level of intrigue. I do think just from a fan perspective, that’s really intriguing.”
We’re still waiting for Rick to return in a “Walking Dead” movie that “TWD universe chief Scott M. Gimple Insider was told is “going to be amazing.”
Negrete is happy Jadis is finally getting ‘her due’
It’s easy to forget, but Jadis’ final episode of “TWD,” was overshadowed by two other huge departures on the AMC series.
“I always feel bad too because that episode of ‘Walking Dead’, when she left, that was Rick’s last episode, obviously, [and] it was Maggie’s last episode for a long time,” Negrete said that season nine episode five was her favorite. “I kind of felt like Pollyanna never quite got her due.”
AMC
“Obviously, when you’re dealing with characters like Rick and Maggie, they understand they get the limelight, but I just thought that it’s so great to bring her back because, you know, there’s so much more story to tell with her.”
Negrete added: “It was such a pleasure to work with her again this season and to explore a new iteration of Jadis. I’m just really excited for what we did and it was a great experience and I can’t wait for everyone to check it out.”
The final season of “TWD: World Beyond” debuts Sunday on AMC at 10 p.m. after “TWD.” The premiere is currently streaming early on AMC+.