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New "Walking Dead" Spinoff Shot Throughout New Jersey

originally published: 06/07/2023 

(NEWARK, NJ) -- AMC’s The Walking Dead franchise has expanded its universe to New Jersey for its upcoming series, The Walking Dead: Dead City. The show is the fourth spinoff in The Walking Dead universe and will follow Maggie and Negan as they explore a postapocalyptic New York City cut off from the mainland. Eli Jorné, who wrote and co-executive produced the original series, serves as the showrunner, while Scott M. Gimple, chief content officer of The Walking Dead franchise, oversaw the series. The six-episode season will premiere on Sunday, June 18 at 9:00pm on AMC and AMC+.

Lauren Cohan and Jeffrey Dean Morgan reprise their roles as Maggie and Negan from the original television series, with Gaius Charles, Jonathan Higginbotham, Mahina Napoleon, Trey Santiago-Hudson, and Charlie Solis co-starring.

“The Walking Dead: Dead City required an extraordinary array of challenging locations, but New Jersey provided the show’s creative team with just what they needed. This is proof, once again, that New Jersey is Film Ready” said Secretary of State Tahesha Way.

Much of the filming took place on the soundstage inside the Meadowlands Arena in East Rutherford, formerly known as the Izod Center and once home to the New Jersey Devils and New Jersey Nets. Various North Jersey locations were used for filming of the series including 51 Port Terminal in Bayonne, the Mushroom Tunnels in Cedar Grove, the Franklin Lakes Nature Preserve, Kearny Warehouse in Kearny, The Ivy in Weehawken, South Mountain Reservation (Turtle Back Rock Picnic Area) in West Orange, Franklin Avenue in Midland Park, and at the Art Factory and in the City Hall area in Paterson. Interior and exterior shots of Hoboken Terminal and Union Dry Dock in Hoboken required the use of special equipment such as a techno crane, jib arm, 125' condor, 80' lift, and two scissor lifts.

A variety of scenes were shot in Newark on Academy, Commerce, Halsey, James and Washington Streets, in Military Park, at the NJT subway, the National Newark Building, Express Shoe Repair, Newark Symphony Hall, Dayton Street School, and an apartment on Lake Street. 

 

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Additional scenes were filmed on location in Central Jersey at Settler Ridge Farm and the Great Swamp National Refuge in Basking Ridge, and at the Holmdel Motor Inn, Paradigm Hedge in Holmdel, and Clean Land in Kenilworth. Filming also took place on locations in Plainfield and Rahway.

The production also rented Temple Emanuel in Franklin Lakes, iPark in Hoboken, NJPAC in Newark, St. Mark’s Episcopal Church and First Park Baptist Church in Plainfield, Boys & Girls Club in Union, Pilgrim Shopping Plaza in Verona, Wagner Farm Arboretum in Warren, and Essex House in West Orange for use as basecamps and crew parking.

AMC reported hiring 100 crew members and 1,100 cast members and extras for the filming of The Walking Dead: Dead City, spending over $72 million in New Jersey for labor, goods, and services.

Other projects that have recently been attracted to New Jersey by the state’s Film Tax Credit Program include Season 4 of HBO’s Succession; Universal Pictures’ soon-to-be-released, highly anticipated biopic Oppenheimer, directed by Christopher Nolan; Sony Pictures’ Dumb Money with Seth Rogen, Pete Davidson, and Vincent D’Onofrio; and the Netflix action thriller Our Man From Jersey starring Mark Wahlberg and Halle Berry.

The New Jersey Motion Picture & Television Commission, which falls under the New Jersey Department of State’s Business Action Center, is staffed by industry professionals and serves as a resource for production companies. The Commission promotes film and television production in New Jersey.