After it was announced in September 2020 that The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon spin-off was in the works, news about the cast, plot details, and a potential release date have slowly been released. Inspired by stories and characters from the Image Comics, The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon spin-off follows the life of the zombie-apocalypse survivor, Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus), who is trying to work out how he ended up in Paris, France after he left The Commonwealth to find Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and Michonne (Danai Gurira). It will be the fifth installment in The Walking Dead franchise and will contain several familiar faces while also introducing a plethora of new actors and characters.
Unlike the other characters in The Walking Dead, Daryl’s journey has been rather unique and unpredictable due to the fact that Daryl doesn’t appear in any of The Walking Dead comics. Although this was rather risky considering The Walking Dead’s dedicated fanbase, it paid off since Daryl’s friendships with Rick and Carol ended up becoming a favorite and important staple in the series. With The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon spinoff, it’s likely that the writers will continue to build off this while also taking even bigger and better risks to make it stand out above the rest.
The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon Spinoff Latest News
With several of The Walking Dead spinoffs in various stages of development, the producers have released either trailers or behind-the-scenes clips. This also applied to The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon spinoff, as The Walking Dead HQ showed a brief behind-the-scenes video of how filming is going on (and hints as to what is in store for the character). From what the fans can see, Daryl appears to be traveling alone throughout Paris, France, which is overrun with Walkers. The streets also appear empty, which hints that the residents living there are hiding or plotting something secretly.
The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon Spinoff Confirmed
Unlike the other Walking Dead spinoffs, The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon spin-off has been in development since 2020 (although it has experienced several setbacks). Initially, the producers had begun developing the spin-off with the intention of it following Carol and Daryl’s lives after The Walking Dead season 11 finale. However, they soon had to rethink their plans when it was announced that Melissa McBride exited The Walking Dead project in April 2022. After a couple of months, filming then began in October 2022, with the series set to have 6 episodes.
The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon Spinoff Release Date
According to the AMC press release, The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon is set to release in late 2023. While no specific timeframe has been provided, it will be likely around October since this was usually when the main series premiered and the producers will likely want to give enough space between The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon and The Walking Dead: Dead City (which premieres on AMC/AMC+ on June 18 for six weeks).
The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon Spinoff Cast
Although Norman Reedus’ will be leading the cast of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon spinoff after signing on to reprise his role as the eponymous zombie hunter, he is also joined by a plethora of talented actors. In November 2022, it was announced that Clémence Poésy and Adam Nagaitis would be joining The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon spin-off (via Variety). While Poesy is set to play Isabelle, a religious character that assists Daryl and is hiding a dark secret, Nagaitis has been cast to play Quinn, who is a powerful owner of an underground nightclub.
Also joining The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon cast are Anne Charrier, Eriq Ebanouey, Laika Blanc Francard, Romain Levi, and Louis Puech Scigliuzzi. While not much is known about their character backgrounds, they are set to play Genet, Fallou, Sylvie, Codron, and Laurent. According to Reedus, some familiar faces will also be making an appearance in The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon spin-off (via Screen Rant), so there’s a possibility that some Daryl could end up reuniting with Lincoln’s Rick or Gurira’s Michonne once his troubles in Paris have ended.
The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon Spinoff Story Details
Although there was much speculation about what the storyline of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon spinoff would focus on after the original plans had to be rewritten, AMC provided them with a few clues after they dropped the press release. This revealed The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon’s official synopsis, which stated that the spinoff will follow Daryl as he treks across France while also struggling to piece together how he got there in the first place. While he will meet several allies, there are also a lot of dangerous enemies lurking in the shadows of Paris, who are desperate to stop him from making his way back home.
Since The Walking Dead’s season 11 finale, “Rest in Peace”, end with Daryl telling Carol that he was leaving the Commonwealth to go bring Rick and Michonne home for their children, Morgan and Judith, the series will take place a couple of months after that. Reedus has also confirmed that the six-part miniseries will differ a lot from The Walking Dead, stating how the tone is “kind of a reset” for the universe (via Screen Rant).
How The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon Could Connect To Other Spinoffs
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With The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon series being the fifth spinoff in The Walking Dead franchise, some fans may be wondering how this show will be connected to the other spinoffs. There have been some theories that Daryl’s presence in Paris would link to The Walking Dead: World Beyond since that spinoff established that the zombie virus and its variants potentially originated in France.
However, given that the synopsis states that Daryl is unsure of how he arrives in Paris in the first place, there are also some theories that the mysterious CRM could be involved in the Daryl Dixon spinoff since they have been hunting Rick and may not appreciate Daryl trying to get in the way of their plans. Reedus also stated that many familiar faces will be appearing in the Daryl Dixon spinoff, suggesting that the events in the series will also play an important part in the universe’s history and Rick & Michonne’s spinoff.
The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon Spinoff Trailer
So far, there hasn’t been any official trailer for The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon spinoff. However, thanks to Twitter accounts like The Walking Dead HQ and TWD Universe, fans have been able to see brief glimpses of Daryl conversing with allies or fighting with enemies. Although the tone will be much different from The Walking Dead series, The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon looks like it will have just as many action sequences and thrills.