AceShowbiz - AMC is not planning to stop expanding its "The Walking Dead" empire. It has now reported that the network is working on a new TV series which spinning off the popular zombie drama. The project marks the third TV series that is currently in active development on the network.

Ed Carroll, chief operating officer at AMC Networks, revealed about the project. "That is in active development," Carroll shared at AMC's fourth-quarter 2018 conference call with media analysts and reporters. "We're not yet at a stage where we'll be announcing its plans to premiere."

However, Carroll added that they "have hired creative people that have pitched story outlines. We feel very good about the development of that series." He went on saying, "We're not in a position to talk about partnerships in terms of other territories or ancillary windows, other than that there's a healthy appetite for it and we've had a number of conversations with a lot of players in the space."

Carroll also addressed the declining ratings in its current ninth season following the departures of major cast members including Andrew Lincoln and Lauren Cohan. "We are well aware that when a show has been around for nine years, you would expect viewership to be declining, but I think we've managed that and managed that well," he said.

"When 'The Walking Dead' is no longer part of the channel, I think that will have more of an impact on revenue than on [income] because generally expenses go up as the seasons continue and viewership declines," he went on saying. "That's just a general pattern with any show that's been around as long as 'The Walking Dead' has."

Cohan previously hinted at a possible Maggie-centric spin-off. "There may have been some conversations," the "Whiskey Cavalier" star previously teased. "But everything is so early-days, ambigous. We'll have to see what happens."

Meanwhile, Danai Gurira, who plays Michonne on the series, was said to be exiting the show to focus on "Black Panther". Previous report claimed that the actress would reprise her iconic katana-wielding character in a limited capacity in season 10 which is said to be her final season. It is reported that she will only appear in a handful of episodes in the upcoming season.