“The Walking Dead” is firmly in the homestretch as the hit AMC zombie show prepares to air its final episode on November 20. But while the flagship series is ending, it’s safe to say that AMC’s programming schedule will be filled with zombies for the foreseeable future. In addition to the current spinoffs “Fear the Walking Dead” and “Tales of the Walking Dead,” the cable network is developing a new limited series starring Andrew Lincoln and Danai Gurira reprising their roles as Rick Grimes and Michonne and a separate spinoff about Norman Reedus’ Daryl Dixon.
In a new interview with Entertainment Weekly, Dixon expressed his excitement about the new spinoff. After years of developing the series, he’s thrilled to be moving forward with a show that he hopes can rival the original.
“These talks about the spin-off had been going on for two years,” said Reedus. “It was a good year before they announced that ‘The Walking Dead’ was going to end. And over the course of time, it kind of changed directions multiple times.”
The star believes that the process was well worth the wait, and promises that his upcoming spinoff will chart its own course without attempting to mimic the series that inspired it.
“We knew we wanted to make a show that went in the opposite direction,” he said. “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.”
That new vibe begins with the setting, as his spinoff will take place across the Atlantic Ocean, following Daryl after he wakes up in Europe without knowledge of how he got there and has to find his way back home. But as excited as Reedus is to be filming in Europe, the actor says that the show’s creative shift will encompass much more than just a new country.
“I’ve been going on location scouts here and stuff, but 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… This is going to be fucking epic.”
Reedus’ spinoff does not have a release date, but is tentatively scheduled to premiere sometime in 2023.
In a new interview with Entertainment Weekly, Dixon expressed his excitement about the new spinoff. After years of developing the series, he’s thrilled to be moving forward with a show that he hopes can rival the original.
“These talks about the spin-off had been going on for two years,” said Reedus. “It was a good year before they announced that ‘The Walking Dead’ was going to end. And over the course of time, it kind of changed directions multiple times.”
The star believes that the process was well worth the wait, and promises that his upcoming spinoff will chart its own course without attempting to mimic the series that inspired it.
“We knew we wanted to make a show that went in the opposite direction,” he said. “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.”
That new vibe begins with the setting, as his spinoff will take place across the Atlantic Ocean, following Daryl after he wakes up in Europe without knowledge of how he got there and has to find his way back home. But as excited as Reedus is to be filming in Europe, the actor says that the show’s creative shift will encompass much more than just a new country.
“I’ve been going on location scouts here and stuff, but 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… This is going to be fucking epic.”
Reedus’ spinoff does not have a release date, but is tentatively scheduled to premiere sometime in 2023.