the three films. Lauren Cohan played Maggie Greene since the second season. As contract negotiations began for the ninth season, Cohan had been given the opportunity to star in Whiskey Cavalier, limiting how much time she would be able to give to the show. Cohan appeared as Maggie for the first five episodes of the season. In October 2019, it was confirmed that Cohan would return as a series regular for the eleventh season. Danai Gurira played Michonne since the third season, and announced that she would be leaving the show after the tenth season, participating in a handful of episodes balanced against her other acting commitments. Both Lennie James (as Morgan Jones) and Austin Amelio (as Dwight) were transferred from the main series after season eight to the spinoff series Fear the Walking Dead. James joined the cast of Fear the Walking Dead in season four and Amelio joined the cast in season five. Casting salaries for the principal actors have grown significantly over the course of the show, up through the seventh season. Overall, the salaries had been lower compared to other similar dramas, including AMC's own Mad Men, but this was justified due to the volatility of any character being potentially written off the show. Norman Reedus and Melissa McBride, playing Daryl Dixon and Carol Peletier respectively, had made around per episode during the first season, and by the seventh season, had gotten up to per episode. Lincoln himself was only earning per episode in the seventh season. By season nine, with the departure of Lincoln, Reedus had repeated secured a per episode pay plus additional incentives, potentially earning him over three seasons. McBride similarly had gotten an extended contract in season nine worth over three seasons. Both of these were intended to secure the pair as central figures for the show going forward in Lincoln's absence. Music Bear McCreary was hired to compose the score for the series. McCreary stated that the main theme was based on his viewing of production designs for the opening title sequence. Instead of doing a full theme song as with his earlier works, McCreary chose to use a simple, repeating motif from the strings section. Soundtracks Four soundtracks for The Walking Dead have been released to date. The Walking Dead: AMC Original Soundtrack, Vol. 1 was released on March 17, 2013. The second volume was released on March 25, 2014.