The Walking Dead is introducing two new characters in season 8

Two new characters will be joining the action for season eight of The Walking Dead.

TVLine has reported that the AMC series is casting two new male characters to join the Alexandrian side (or at least it seems) as the war against the dreaded Saviors begins.

The first new character is Dillon, who is a “a sexy, blue-collar 20-something whose survival skills include sarcasm”.

The second is Abbud, described as “an innately likeable Muslim American whose nerves are jangled, because he’s flown solo for too long in zombieland.

The question is, which out of the two characters will fall victim to the villainous Negan?

According to TVLine, Dillon is looking like the most likely bet to survive the season: “Of the pair, the former is likelier to survive the looming conflict — not only does Dillon sound like a less jerky Spencer, but the casting notice for the roles hints that the actor chosen might get picked up for subsequent seasons.”

Earlier this week, The Walking Dead showrunner Scott Gimple suggested that the show’s main man could well be in danger in the upcoming season. Gimple revealed that Alexandria’s leader Rick Grimes may just sacrifice his own life in order to take down the Saviors and give his people the life they deserve.

Referring to the all-out battle ahead, he told TVLine: “Rick will suffer any loss, even his own self.

“[He will suffer any loss] to give his people and other people the life that they should live, where the world belongs to all of them and not just one person. A real life.

“That’s the only choice. So he’s willing to face the losses.”

The showrunner also teased how things aren’t looking good for a certain Eugene. Speaking to Variety, Gimple explained: “He said he’s Negan in front of everybody. He has still not found the strength to get over his fear. He’s still Negan after seeing everything Sasha is doing. I don’t think it looks good for Eugene.”

He added: “But with everything Sasha {Sonequa Martin-Green) said to him, maybe his courage is just lying dormant.”

The Walking Dead season 8 is expected to return October 2017 to FOX in the UK.