The Walking Dead Spinoff Starring Norman Reedus Reveals First Details

Scott M. Gimple has revealed the setting of The Walking Dead spinoff show starring Norman Reedus as Daryl Dixon. First announced in September 2020, the Daryl and Carol spinoff developed by Gimple and Walking Dead showrunner Angela Kang would have focused on Reedus’ Daryl and Melissa McBride’s Carol on a zombie apocalypse road trip after the series finale of The Walking Dead. But the continuation of the original series, ending after eleven seasons and a final eight episodes this fall, will instead follow Daryl on an overseas mission. McBride bowed out of the spinoff in April as relocating to France — where the untitled series will film and take place — was “logistically untenable” for the longtime Walking Dead actress. 

Kang, who was to serve as showrunner on the Daryl and Carol spinoff, also exited the series shortly after AMC confirmed McBride’s departure. The still-untitled Daryl solo series will shoot this year under ER‘s David Zabel as showrunner. 

Gimple is still overseeing the Reedus-led show in his role as Chief Content Officer of AMC’s Walking Dead Universe. The executive producer addressed the Daryl Dixon spinoff live Sunday during the Talking Dead: The Walking Dead Universe Preview 2022 special, revealing plans for the series set to premiere in 2023 on AMC and AMC+. 

“The Daryl spinoff takes place in France,” Gimple announced. Confirming a connection to the Variant walkers introduced in the post-credits epilogue of The Walking Dead: World Beyond, Gimple said, “[The World Beyond coda] is a bit of a tease of some of the things Daryl is going to face.”  

“Daryl is a fish out of water to start with. If Daryl finds himself with new people, he’s a fish out of water. In France, in a country that’s going through the apocalypse, [it’s] an entirely different thing,” Gimple added.
“He finds himself having to reinvent himself again, having to find himself again, and also, not being with — probably — the only people in the world he’s comfortable with.” 

During The Walking Dead‘s final series panel at San Diego Comic-Con in July, Reedus assured the Comic-Con crowd that “Carol and Daryl’s story isn’t over yet.” Reedus’ comment echoed a statement by AMC, which said that McBride could return to TWD Universe — after what Reedus called “some time off.” 

“Melissa McBride has given life to one of the most interesting, real, human and popular characters in The Walking Dead Universe. Unfortunately, she is no longer able to participate in the previously announced spin-off focused on the Daryl Dixon and Carol Peletier characters, which will be set and filmed in Europe this summer and premiere next year,” AMC Networks said at the time. “Relocating to Europe became logistically untenable for Melissa at this time. We know fans will be disappointed by this news, but The Walking Dead Universe continues to grow and expand in interesting ways and we very much hope to see Carol again in the near future.” 

Along with the Daryl Dixon spinoff, AMC Studios is now filming Isle of the Dead, which follows Lauren Cohan’s Maggie and Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s Negan into post-apocalyptic New York, and the Rick Grimes/Michonne spinoff reuniting Andrew Lincoln and Danai Gurira. The Walking Dead: The Last Episodes premieres Sunday, October 2 on AMC.