If you’re a fan of the hit AMC show The Walking Dead, then you’re probably familiar with the very special relationship between Daryl (Norman Reedus) and Carol (Melissa McBride), so when a spinoff featuring the two was announced, fans were understandably excited.
Unfortunately, we were later told the two would not be reuniting. Now it looks like it’s back on. What a rollercoaster!
In an interview with Variety, Reedus was asked how the spinoff would look without Carol. “How do you know she’s not gonna come back?” he answered.
Reedus explained that he initially thought he was going to do the spinoff in addition to the original Walking Dead, but then that show ended. And McBride needed a break.
“Twelve years is a grueling schedule,” he said on The Tonight Show when she announced the break. “She wanted to take some time off and she’s doing that. She deserves it.”
Of course, other things affected the planning for the new show as well.
“… [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. At that point, [McBride] wasn’t going to do the show. And then she was going to do the show. And then she wasn’t going to do the show.”
He also mentioned that he was “telling the truth” about McBride’s need for 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.”
For her part, McBride said she loved working with Reedus and held a lot of great memories of their time together on the show.
“… [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. It was the first time we’d shared any one-on-one time since starting the show.”
Their time together really cemented the relationship between them, she added.
“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!”
A lot has been said about the pair’s chemistry, but McBride also shared why she loved working with Reedus.
“He’s unexpected, he’s involved, he’s unapologetic to feel things out and find something hidden or new. 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.”
The as-of-yet untitled spinoff is scheduled to debut sometime next year. We’ll keep you posted as soon as we hear anything.