The Walking Dead’s Lauren Cohan is ‘so excited’ for Maggie Rhee to reunite with beloved family member in season 11

MAGGIE Rhee is set for a heart-warming reunion when The Walking Dead season 11 drops next year.

The fan favourite character and former leader of The Hilltop, played by Lauren Cohan, will return to screens in a blaze of glory as she returns to the allied communities.

Cohan left the AMC zombie drama to take the lead role in new action comedy Whiskey Cavalier, only for the show to flop after its first season.

However, bosses were more than happy to keep the door open for a return to The Walking Dead given the popularity of Maggie.

During a panel at Comic-Con: At Home, Cohan admitted she couldn’t wait to return to set.

She also noted that she was looking forward to being reunited with Maggie’s son Hershel.

“I want to meet little Hershel! I’m so excited,” she exclaimed.

Given that Maggie has already lost so many members of her family, it’s no surprise she wants to keep her son close.

Fans will remember that her father Hershel (Scott Wilson) – who Maggie’s son is named after – was killed by The Governor (David Morrissey), while her half-sister Beth (Emily Kinney) was brutally shot in the head.

What’s more, husband Glenn (Steven Yeun) famously had his skull bashed in by Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) with his infamous baseball bat Lucille.

Cohan said that she looked forward to new relationships blossoming in season 11, namely between Hershel and Rick’s daughter Judith (Cailey Flemming).

Hershel has only been on screen once before in the season nine premiere, while he was a baby.

He was subsequently mentioned when Siddiq (Avi Nash) revealed Maggie had taken her leave from Hilltop with her son after a six-year timejump.

Given the closeness in age between Hershel and Judith, Cohan predicted a brilliant friendship was on the horizon.

“I feel really excited because Cailey is so good that whoever we find for Hershel, and pairing them together, is going to result in some really illuminating conversation,” she said.

“So on all those levels, like meeting people and seeing everything the writers create for these kids, I’m just super jazzed.”

However, Judith and Hershel weren’t the only characters discussed during the panel.

The propsect of Maggie coming face to face with Negan – who she has made no secrets about wanting dead – also came up.

Morgan pointed out that given Negan’s fondness for children, his interactions with Hershel could help Maggie see he isn’t a monster after all.

“I think that may be a way — we’ll see, I’m not a writer on this show — but that may be a way that Maggie sees a different side of Negan, as well,” he explained.

“I think initially she’ll just want to kill him, but we’ll see what happens.”

The comments come after The Walking Dead reopened its Atlanta set to resume filming on season 11 later this month.

Meanwhile Fear the Walking Dead will restart production in Austin, Texas, two months later in October.

The Walking Dead‘s season 10 finale will air as a special episode on Monday, October 5 on FOX in the UK and previous episodes are available to stream on NOW TV.

In the US, the season 10 finale will air on Sunday, October 4 at 9pm on AMC.

Fear the Walking Dead will return later this year on AMC in the US and on AMC UK in the UK.