The Walking Dead: Norman Reedus Returns to Work on Season 10 Bonus Episodes

Norman Reedus is back to work on new episodes of The Walking Dead. These six bonus episodes are the first produced with COVID-19 protocols in place, and all specifically designed for safe filming during the pandemic. First announced by showrunner Angela Kang during virtual Comic-Con weekend in July, these all-new episodes will extend Season 10 into early 2021 with "deep dives" into characters including Daryl (Reedus) and Carol (Melissa McBride). Reedus confirmed he was "back at it" on Monday, taking to Instagram with a set photo captured while in costume.

"We really get into the heads of the characters more than a giant situation where you'd have thousands of zombies on top of you and people screaming and running," Reedus previously told Deadline about the new batch of episodes. "It's more character-driven, because of COVID, it's kind of changed the dynamic a little bit. Also, I think after such an epic battle at the end of this season I think you need some breathing room."

Because the season just wrapped the Whisperer War in its original finale, Reedus added, "I think people need to exhale and take a look around them, and I think that's what's happening now. I'm sure it'll ramp back up again but right now it's kind of an introspective exhale sort of a feel, which is nice. It's a nice tone."

A restrained scope means no swarms of not-socially-distant zombies, but a new story will bridge what's to come in the final season later in 2021. Along with more Daryl and Carol, we'll learn what Maggie (Lauren Cohan) and her mysterious masked companion have been up to in the years she's been away — and what happens when she finds Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) out of jail.

"They don't have the typical scope and scale of what would be like a gigantic like finale with like hundreds of extras by the time you get to the end, but I think we get to tell a really, really cool story that I think the fans will really love," Kang said. "We'll get to see dynamics between Maggie and Negan, we'll see a lot of story related to Daryl and Carol, and where people have been in the past, which, I think, should be satisfying for fans who have wondered about X, Y, Z moments."

The Walking Dead returns with six new episodes in early 2021 on AMC. For all things TWD, follow the author @CameronBonomolo on Twitter.