The long-running hit post-apocalyptic horror series The Walking Dead will be drawing its curtains in November 2022. However, fans need not worry as the franchise has never been more alive with several spin-offs being prepared to fill the impending absence of the giant mothership. To further expand The Walking Dead into a massive "zombie-verse" is an untitled spin-off to be led by one of the franchise's beloved characters Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus). Reedus has now shared details on what fans should expect from his spin-off, and it's as promising as can be.
Without giving any spoilers away, Reedus teased that the spin-off which will be centered on the crossbow-wielding Daryl is going to offer a completely fresh perspective on the zombie-ridden world and will be nothing like what fans of the zombie show have seen before. This, he shared in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, saying, "We knew we wanted to make a show that went in the opposite direction, just because we didn't want to do the same thing. So that's what we're doing. And it's going to be way different. The story's way different. The characters are way different. There's a different tone, there's different light, there's a different sound. It's a whole different vibe."
For starters, the spin-off will be set in France which will also be the location for production. While Fear the Walking Dead briefly took us to Mexico this spinoff will be our first venture to another continent. However, Reedus stresses that "it's even more than just location. It's all the things we love about those characters and those shows, but It's going to be brand new, which I'm excited about." The spin-off was originally planned as a Daryl-Carol spin-off, however, having its filming location abroad saw Melissa McBride who plays Carol pull out due to logistics difficulties. The project would then be retooled as a standalone Daryl project, though McBride has now indicated that we may still see her character on the series in some capacity.
While Reedus gave nothing away regarding the plot line, AMC president Dan McDermott has said that the spin-off will "follow Daryl as he wakes up and finds himself somewhere on the European continent and tries to piece together what happened. How did he get here? How's he going to get home?" The spin-off will pick up from where Daryl's journey on the parent show ends while also having ties with the finale of the limited spinoff series, The Walking Dead: World Beyond where a scientist in an abandoned French lab is murdered after he watches videos of tests carried out on other forms of walkers.
Angela Kang and Scott M. Gimple will serve as creators of the Daryl spin-off while David Zabel will serve as the showrunner.
Production for the untitled spin-off has already begun in France. The spin-off is expected to begin airing sometime in 2023.