The Walking Dead actor Lennie James lands lead role in new TV series sparking fears for his character

His character first appeared in episode one before returning in season five

Such is the norm with The Walking Dead that when actors get cast in new projects while still being on the show, fans begin to worry this could signal their character's oncoming death.

The latest actor to have the question mark thrown around the status of their character is Lennie James whose character Morgan is still alive and kicking on the AMC series.

James will head up original series Gone for Sky Atlantic alongside Suranne Jones and Stephen Graham.

Set on a southeast London housing estate, the story - written by James himself - follows Nelson “Nelly” Rowe who, when accused of a terrible crime, determines to clear his name and find the real perpetrator.

The fate of Walking Dead character Glenn Rhee was thrown into question following the announcement that Steven Yeun had been cast in several other projects; the character was brutally killed off in one of the show's most controversial moments earlier this season.

Just last month, it was announced that Sonequa Martin-Green - who has played Sasha since season three - had been cast as the lead in Star Trek Discovery sparking fears for her character's safety going into the second half of season seven.

Executive producer Gale Ann Hurd stated that the violence has been toned down in future episodes following a backlash to the season seven premiere.

The Walking Dead returns in the US on February 12 and will air the following evening in the UK, 9 pm on FOX. You can find our definitive ranking of all eight episodes thus far here, as well as a preview of all the shows to look out for in 2017 here.