by Emily Longerettaa
Variety
When “The Walking Dead” comes to an end, Carol and Daryl fans may have something to look forward to after all.
In 2020, AMC announced a spinoff that would follow Melissa McBride and Norman Reedus’ characters. This April, however, the network revealed that since the show relocated filming to Europe, logistically, McBride was unable to make it work. At the time, Reedus defended her choice.
“Twelve years is a grueling schedule,” he said on “The Tonight Show” at the time. “She wanted to take some time off and she’s doing that. She deserves it.”
Now, he explains the logistics of the spinoff -- and hints that the story isn’t over for Carol and Daryl. When asked what Daryl’s world looks like without Carol, he asks, “How do you know she’s not gonna come back?”
“The spinoff was announced before we even announced ‘The Walking Dead’ was ending. We always thought we were doing a show that would come back to the flagship show—we’d take off, then come back to the flagship show,” Reedus tells Variety. “Then they ended the flagship show, and it was us on our own. And then we shot for a year and a half straight, through the beginning of COVID-19. At that point, Melissa wasn’t going to do the show. And then she was going to do show. And then she wasn’t going to do the show.”
Reedus adds that he was “telling the truth” when saying she needed a break.
“You don’t know she’s not going to show up on the spinoff. I’ll just leave it at that. She’s a very big part of Daryl’s story,” he adds. “It’s all gonna be OK.”
The actor, who receives his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame later this month, as well as McBride, have co-starred on “The Walking Dead” since its debut in 2010.
“I have so many memories working with Norman, one of my favorites being very early in ‘The Walking Dead’ series—just starting on the second season. We had a visit together, the two of us,” McBride recalls . “It was the first time we’d shared any one on one time since starting the show. We talked, got know each other little better, talked over the music I was playing on the portable record player, in this home away from home we’d found ourselves—music we both liked. We discovered common interests, shared a bit about family, what brought us here. That meant a lot to me. Of course, I’ll always hold most dear the memory of our ride through Scotland!”
McBride also shared what it is about Reedus that makes him the “perfect Daryl” and a great scene partner overall.
“He’s unexpected, he’s involved, he’s unapologetic to feel things out and find something hidden or new,” she tells Variety. “He works to make what’s good better, and what is great, greater. I enjoy his slant on things; he makes it a fun volley of sorts—mesh and volley—makes for great discoveries in the moment.”
(C) 2022 Variety Media, LLC, a subsidiary of Penske Business Media; Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
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