With NYCC vet Norman Reedus, Daryl himself, on stage Thursday, Melissa McBride joined her pal and fans via video link – telling the assemble she was glad to be back.
Earlier McBride said of the newly minted The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon- The Book of Carol : “I’ve known there was much more to be told of Carol’s story as I felt her so unsettled when we last saw her, as she watched her best friend, Daryl, ride away. Apart or (hopefully!) together, their stories run deep, and I’m so excited to continue Carol’s journey here. This team of storytellers have done amazing work to land these two established characters in an entirely new world to them, and I’m loving the discoveries.”
Presently in production overseas thanks to an interim agreement awarded by the striking SAG-AFTRA. after making a deal with various AMC Networks for its shows in late August, about a month and a half after the actors guild hit the picket lines. The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon- The Book of Carol is set to debut in 2024.
It ids because of that interim agreement that Reedus and McBride were able to joined TWDverse producers to plug the show and other spinoffs.
Showing up in full battle mode in search of France relocated Dixon in the closing minutes of the Season 1 “Coming Home” finale, which airs on October 15, McBride’s Carol was originally set to be part of the Europe-based TWD spinoff. However, in April 2022, it was announced suddenly that the actress would not be part of the show, at least not right away.
‘Relocating to Europe became logistically untenable for Melissa at this time,” said AMC. As the TWD mothershow moved towards its final round of episodes last year, Reedus was a bit more expansive on what went down. “I imagine those characters are gonna meet back up at some point and I might even meet up with some other characters down the road,” he told The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in early May 2022. “But she’s taking time off and in the meantime, they were like, ‘Hey, you wanna go on a mission?’ And I’m like, ‘Yeah! Let’s go on a mission.”
With TWD showrunner Angela Kang exiting for David Zabel, that mission launched on September 10 to become the much-watched on the cable channel and the most-viewed premiere in the history of streamer AMC+. As Dixon fought his way through a walker-infested and deadly divided L’hexagone on the six episode series to protect a child who many believe could save the world (cue the tropes), the spinoff had already been renewed for a second season back in June.
In that spinoff vein, TWD buddy Jeffrey Dean Morgan made McBride’s return public online on June 22 with a pic of her and Reedus in full TWD regalia. “Goddamn, it’s great seeing these two together! Can’t wait!” wrote TWD: Dead City star Morgan, while taking swipes at fair-weather fans who turned on Reedus when news of McBride initially not being in Dixon broke.
Along with Reedus and McBride, Daryl Dixon – The Book of Carol also stars Reedus, McBride, Clémence Poésy, Louis Puech Scigliuzzi, Laika Blanc Francard, Anne Charrier, Romain Levi and Eriq Ebouaney. The series is EP’d by McBride, Reedus, Kang, showrunner Zabel, TWDverse overlord Scott M. Gimple, Greg Nicotero, Brian Bockrath, Daniel Percival, Jason Richman and Steve Squillante.
