Melissa McBride Spotted Filming Walking Dead Spinoff With Norman Reedus

By Cameron Bonomolo

The Walking Dead's Daryl and Carol spin-off lives! In 2020, AMC announced it ordered a new Walking Dead spin-off series with Norman Reedus and Melissa McBride set to star as Daryl Dixon and Carol Peletier. Walking Dead Universe chief content officer Scott M. Gimple and showrunner Angela Kang created the untitled series, described as a "road show" headlined by the two fan-favorite characters who had endured for all 11 seasons of the original show. But when relocating to Europe became "logistically untenable" for the Carol actress, McBride bowed out of Daryl & Carol, and the spin-off was reworked to focus on Daryl washing ashore in France — without Carol — in The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon.

"Melissa McBride has given life to one of the most interesting, real, human and popular characters in The Walking Dead Universe," an AMC spokesperson said at the time. "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 ... 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."

McBride and Reedus insisted that The Walking Dead series finale wasn't the end of the road for Carol and Daryl, with McBride hinting to EW: "I feel like Carol has more story to tell. I'll leave it at that... I think she's got some more story." 

It would seem that story continues in France, where Reedus and McBride have been spotted filming together for the first time since wrapping production on the original flagship series last spring. It's unclear if McBride's scenes are for The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon's first season, which premieres this fall on AMC, or a rumored second season. (AMC added the Rick Grimes & Michonne coda to The Walking Dead series finale months after that production rolled cameras for the last time.)

ComicBook has reached out to AMC for comment.

"I think it's safe to say that just because Daryl left and Carol's at the Commonwealth doesn't necessarily mean that's where they're going to end up, and that's where they're going to stay," Greg Nicotero, director of The Walking Dead finale and episodes of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, previously told ComicBook. "So there's a lot to be said for just that moment [in the finale], where Carol was at peace being where she was. And Daryl was sort of ready to move on, and ready to get out there and see what else is out there in the world."

The logline: "Daryl washes ashore in France and struggles to piece together how he got there and why. The series tracks his journey across a broken but resilient France as he hopes to find a way back home. As he makes the journey, though, the connections he forms along the way complicate his ultimate plan."

David Zabel (ER, Mercy Street) serves as showrunner and executive producer of the six-episode first season of Daryl Dixon. Confirmed cast members include Clémence Poésy (Harry Potter) as Isabelle, Adam Nagaitis (Chernobyl) as Quinn, Anne Charrier (The Last Deadly Mission) as Genet, Laika Blanc Francard (My Night) as Sylvie, Eriq Ebouaney (Fox Hunt) as Fallou, Romain Levi (The Tunnel) as Codron, and newcomer Louis Puech Scigliuzzi as Laurent. 

The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon premieres this fall on AMC and AMC+.

Stay tuned to ComicBook/TWD and follow @CameronBonomolo and @NewsOfTheDead on Twitter for more TWD Universe coverage.

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