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First look at Daryl Dixon 'Walking Dead' spinoff, as Norman Reedus teases 'reset' with new series
The follow-up series finds Daryl in zombie-infested France.
If the fifth Indiana Jones movie can land an official title this week, so can AMC's Daryl Dixon spinoff of The Walking Dead. Entertainment Weekly confirmed today that the Norman Reedus-led series will be called The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon.
A little uninspired, if you ask us, but there you are. Now in production across the Atlantic, the follow-up project will find Mr. Dixon fighting for his life in zombie-infested France, whose scientists may have had something to do with the walker outbreak. How and why the crossbow-wielding survivalist ends up in Europe is still shrouded under a thick layer of rotting flesh, but Reedus promises "a reset" of the undead formula that propelled the flagship title through 11 seasons.
"You learn a lot of things after 12 years of doing a show, and there are certain paths that you inevitably have to go down because [there is such a big cast]," the actor — who serves as an executive producer alongside makeup effects whiz Greg Nicotero — told EW. "We don't really have that over there. It's kind of a fresh start for us, with all the things that we loved doing, and just a whole bunch more."
Mercy Street co-creator David Zabel is showrunning the affair, having replaced Angela Kang earlier this year (we now know she was in the middle of solidifying a big Spider-Verse deal with Amazon Studios). Kang, however, remains on board as an executive producer alongside TWD brand manager Scott M. Gimple, with whom she conceived of Daryl's solo outing.
So far, Clémence Poésy (Harry Potter) and Adam Nagaitis (Chernobyl) have been cast in major supporting roles. Poésy will play Isabelle, the member of a "progressive religious group," who crosses paths with Dixon. Nagaitis, meanwhile, has been tapped to play Quinn, a British ex-pat, black marketeer, and night club owner.
"People are speaking French around me, and part of my story is me trying to figure out, 'Is this good or is this bad? Are we about to get into a fight or are we friends right now?'" Reedus added. "I'm trying to read lips with the language that I don't understand and I'm reading body language, I'm reading tone. I'm reading all sorts of things, and it's confusing and I'm figuring it out. I figure out how to get out of it, and how do I get to the next step. It's all part of the story. So is it weird? Yeah, it's weird, but that's the show we're making."
While only three weeks of content have been filmed thus far, AMC did release a trio of first look production stills:
AMC has yet to announce a premiere window for The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon. Two more spinoffs — Dead City (starring Lauren Cohan and Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Maggie and Negan) and a limited series that will wrap up the romantic saga of Rick and Michonne (played by Andrew Lincoln and Danai Guriria, respectively) are also in the pipeline.
Seasons 1-10 of The Walking Dead are currently streaming on Netflix. The jumbo-sized final season can be found on AMC+.
If you're looking to satisfy your zombie craving, head over to Peacock and check out the movie that kickstarted the entire genre: George A. Romero's Night of the Living Dead. Or check out the SYFY original series, Day of the Dead.
