The Walking Dead’s final season will begin wrapping up in October of this year, and rabid fans are eager to snatch up every little tidbit of news regarding the multiple spin-offs that will carry us through the next few years.
One of those spin-offs originally featured both Daryl (Norman Reedus) and Carol (Melissa McBride) in a show all to themselves, but McBride announced earlier this summer that she wasn’t interested in leaving her family to film in Europe. So the project hit a wall.
The Daryl Dixon TWD Spin-Off Will Take Place in France
But thanks to an interview over at Collider, Chief Content Officer Scott M. Gimple spilled the beans on the fact that the spin-off will continue and it will take place in France.
“The Daryl spinoff takes place in France. [The World Beyond coda] is a bit of a tease of some of the things Daryl is going to face,” Gimple said.
“Daryl is a fish out of water to start with,” he continued. “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. 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.”
DARYL DIXON’S NEXT CHAPTER. I AM BEYOND EXCITED #TheWalkingDead pic.twitter.com/ZSUN327kT5
— TWD Promos & Videos (@TWDPromos) August 8, 2022
Although we’re not really sure how Daryl ended up all the way in France, Gimple did tease some info about the type of undead he’ll be facing over there.
Daryl Will Face a New Variant Walker That’s Stronger & Faster
This new “variant” type of walker has deep lore that’s already been teased in both the Season 11 trailers and TWD: World Beyond. For example, in a recent trailer for the final episodes of Season 11, we see Aaron mention that he has heard “stories of walkers that can climb walls and open doors.”
And in World Beyond, we see the inside of a French lab where this variant has been designed. Yes, designed. This is getting very Lord of the Rings here. (Check out our story with a transcript of exactly what was said about that.)
But! If you remember way back in Season 1, when the OG survivor group hid out in the CDC and met that scientist (Dr. Edwin Jenner, played by Noah Emmerich), the good doctor mentioned “variant cohorts” that are stronger and faster than the walkers seen in their area.
Carol and Daryl’s relationship in TWD is easily one of the best parts of the show imho
it’s two deeply traumatized people working through the abuse they’ve suffered at the hands of people close to them, and growing and becoming better for it.
It’s very good stuff pic.twitter.com/N2u03baCKw
— Bapper just kinda vibin (@BapperNoName) August 8, 2022
This Daryl-centered spin-off has no official release date yet, but it sounds like it’s progressing quite well despite the setbacks. At San Diego Comic-Con last month, Reedus said, “Carol and Daryl’s story isn’t over yet,” while other clues point toward the possibility of Rick making an appearance. So who knows how everything will tie together.
The next big stop on the TWD spin-off train will be Tales of the Walking Dead premiering next Sunday, August 14th, on AMC and AMC+.
We also have Isle of the Dead to look forward to, featuring Negan and Maggie.
And of course, the new Rick and Michonne spinoff that was just announced. There’s no release date yet for this one, but fans are excited to see what’s next.
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