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The long-standing show, The Walking Dead, ended in November 2022 after 12 years. However, the show already has three spin-offs planned and is still considered one of the most beloved franchises of all time by fans. One of them is The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon series, which focuses on the adventures of Norman Reedus’ character, who starts his journey in France.
The show's official plotline includes,
“In The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, Daryl washes ashore in France and struggles to piece together how he got there and why. The series tracks his journey across a broken but resilient France as he hopes to find a way back home. As he makes the journey, though, the connections he forms along the way complicate his ultimate plan.”
In the spin-off, Melissa McBride’s character, Carol Peletier, was supposed to walk the journey with Daryl. However, she had withdrawn from the show, citing that moving to Europe would be "logistically untenable" for her.
The Walking Dead: Why won't fans see Melissa McBride in the Daryl Dixon spin-off?
Melissa McBride has always rooted for the character of Carol. Even when the showrunners decided to kill her character off, she expressed her opinion about the character, stating she was steadfast to remain on the show while speaking to Digital Spy and other media outlets at the 2019 Comic-Con International.
She said,
"I'm like, 'Here's who she is to me, just at least let me tell you that much and if you still want to kill her, fine,' but it was important for me to speak for her. I still to this day don't know what saved her. I've heard different stories, but I don't know – but I'm grateful, for whatever reason."
While fans are grateful to Melissa McBride for her decision to stay, which made her one of the most long-standing and beloved cast members, she exited early on from The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon due to her problems with the location where it is filmed, which is on the European side.
The complete statement released by AMC states,
"Melissa McBride has given life to one of the most interesting, real, human and popular characters in The Walking Dead Universe. Unfortunately, she is no longer able to participate in the previously announced spin-off focused on the Daryl Dixon and Carol Peletier characters, which will be set and filmed in Europe this summer and premiere next year.”
It added,
"Relocating to Europe became logistically untenable for Melissa at this time. 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."
Is Norman Reedus the reason behind Melissa McBride’s exit from The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon?
Many fans blamed Norman Reedus for Melissa McBride’s exit from the show, assuming that Reedus’s long-time girlfriend Diane Kruger is from Germany, Europe. However, Jeffrey Dean Morgan slammed these fans.
He said,
"Some of you have gone WAY too far,” Morgan wrote on Twitter. “TOXIC. Attacking [Norman Reedus] for crap he has NOTHING to do with? Melissa made a call that was hers alone. She wants/needs a break. Respect that. Factors involved that are nobody’s business. Norm, who’s given more than anyone to you all. Just SH*TTY.”
Morgan also went on to say,
“Norman had nothing to do with picking location. That decision is all about story, ideas… MONEY. That’s studio/network. Not actors. We can say yes and do, or no, and not do… MAYBE. SOMETIMES. If we’re lucky and don’t have contract yet. Rarely does actor have that power.”
On The Tonight Show back in 2022, Reedus talked about a possible The Walking Dead reunion,
“I imagine those characters are going to meet back up at some point, and they might even meet up with some other characters down the road. In the meantime, [AMC] was like, ‘Hey, you wanna go on a mission?’ And I’m like, ‘Yeah, let’s go on a mission.'”
All the episodes of The Walking Dead are available to watch on AMC in the US and STAR on Disney+ in the UK.
