Arrow alum Kat McNamara will star in The CW's upcoming Walker prequel, Walker: Independence.
According to Deadline, The CW's Walker: Independence pilot has cast McNamara as its lead character, Abby Walker. McNamara joins Matt Barr, who will star in Independence as Hoyt Rawlins -- the ancestor of the Walker character of the same name, also played by Barr.
Set in the late 1800s, Independence follows Abby, "an affluent Bostonian whose husband is murdered before her eyes while on their journey out West. On her quest for revenge, Abby crosses paths with Hoyt Rawlins, a lovable rogue in search of purpose. Abby and Hoyt's journey takes them to Independence, Texas, where they encounter diverse, eclectic residents running from their own troubled pasts and chasing their dreams."
Deadline describes Abby as "a tough-minded woman" from "Boston's high society" who finds herself "moving across the country with her husband to a new life in Independence. After her husband is killed by a horse thief in the night, Abby wanders grief-stricken through the brush and finally into the town of Independence. She takes on the name of 'Walker' and sets about building her strength (personal and financial), because she's going to be the first Walker to go to war against overwhelming odds. The first but not the last…"
McNamara is known for her role as Mia Queen (aka Mia Smoak) -- the daughter of Oliver Queen/Green Arrow (Stephen Amell) and Felicity Smoak (Emily Bett Rickards) -- in the final to seasons of The CW's DC television series Arrow. McNamara's other TV credits include Happyland, Shadowhunters and The Stand, while her film credits include New Year's Eve, Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials and Maze Runner: The Death Cure.
Starring Supernatural alum Jared Padalecki as Cordell Walker, The CW's Walker premiered in January 2021 and is currently in the midst of its second season. The show serves as a modern reboot of the 1993-2001 CBS series Walker, Texas Ranger, which starred Chuck Norris in the role of Cordell Walker.
In December 2021, news broke that Padalecki was developing a Walker prequel for The CW, titled Walker: Independence, which he would executive produce. In February 2022, Independence officially received a pilot order at The CW. The pilot was written by Seamus Fahey from a story by him and Anna Fricke, with Larry Teng attached to direct.
Source: Deadline