‘The Walking Dead’ Daryl-Carol Spinoff Undergoing Major Change

The Walking Dead spinoff starring Norman Reedus‘ Daryl and Melissa McBride’s Carol, two characters integral to the zombie franchise since it began over a decade ago, is undergoing a major change. McBride has dropped out, leaving Reedus as the show’s sole lead star. The project has been in development since at least September 2020.

Although early rumors suggested that cutting Carol from the series was a creative decision, an AMC spokesperson told TVLine it was merely a logistics issue. “Melissa McBride has given life to one of the most interesting, real, human, and popular characters in The Walking Dead Universe,” the spokesperson said. “Unfortunately, she is no longer able to participate in the previously announced spinoff focused on the Daryl Dixon and Carol Peletier characters, which will be set and filmed in Europe this summer and premiere next year.”

The spokesperson said that the move to film the series overseas instead of in the U.S. was “logistically untenable” for McBride. “We know fans will be disappointed by this news, but The Walking Dead Universe continues to grow and expand in interesting ways, and we very much hope to see Carol again in the near future,” the statement concluded.

AMC announced the Carol-Daryl spin-off in September 2020 as the network was formalizing plans to end the series that started the whole franchise. Reedus and McBride are the only two stars to appear in all 11 seasons of The Walking Dead. Scott M. Gimple, who has overseen the entire franchise for AMC, and Walking Dead showrunner Angela Kang co-created the series.

“It’s bittersweet to bring [the flagship series] to an end, but I could not be more excited to be working with Scott Gimple and AMC to develop a new series for Daryl and Carol,” Kang said when the show was announced. “Working with Norman Reedus and Melissa McBride has been a highlight of my career, and I’m thrilled that we get to keep telling stories together.”

The Walking Dead franchise is based on the comic book series by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore, and Charlie Adlard. Although it is no longer the ratings juggernaut it once was, the main show has been AMC’s flagship show since its debut in October 2010. The last episode of Season 11’s second arc aired earlier this month. A third arc will air after the spin-off Fear the Walking Dead finishes its seventh season. 

Fear has already been renewed for Season 8, while the anthology series Tales of the Walking Dead is set to debut this year. The 20-episode limited series The Walking Dead: World Beyond aired in 2020 and 2021. Another spinoff starring Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s Negan and Lauren Cohan’s Maggie is in development, alongside the long-gestating movies starring Andrew Lincoln’s Rick Grimes.