It’s really not much of a surprise that AMC’s The Walking Dead is coming to an end. The network confirmed today the upcoming two-year expanded season 11 will be the zombie apocalypse’s final season. With that bit of bad news for stalwart TWD fans comes the good news that a spin-off series focusing on Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus) and Carol Peletier (Melissa McBride) has been greenlit.
“It’s been ten years ‘gone bye;’ what lies ahead are two more to come and stories and stories to tell beyond that,” said Scott M. Gimple, chief content officer of The Walking Dead universe. “What’s clear is that this show has been about the living, made by a passionate cast, team of writer/producers, producers, and crew, bringing to life the vision put forth by Robert Kirkman in his brilliant comic — and supported by the best fans in the world. We have a lot of thrilling story left to tell on TWD, and then, this end will be a beginning of more Walking Dead — brand new stories and characters, familiar faces and places, new voices, and new mythologies. This will be a grand finale that will lead to new premieres. Evolution is upon us. The Walking Dead lives.”
The Walking Dead‘s showrunner Angela Kang will guide the new spin-off. Kang co-created the new series with Gimple.
“I look forward to digging in with our brilliant writers, producers, directors, cast and crew to bring this epic final chapter of Robert Kirkman’s story to life for our fans over the next two years,” said Kang. “The Walking Dead flagship series has been my creative home for a decade and so it’s bittersweet to bring it to an end, but I could not be more excited to be working with Scott Gimple and AMC to develop a new series for Daryl and Carol. Working with Norman Reedus and Melissa McBride has been a highlight of my career and I’m thrilled that we get to keep telling stories together.”
The untitled Carol and Daryl series is targeting a 2023 premiere.
“Of course, I’ve always enjoyed working so closely with Norman throughout these many seasons. In playing Carol, and as a viewer of the show, I’ve also long been intrigued with ‘Daryl and Carol,’ and by what so early on between them, even then, felt somehow bound,” explained McBride. “Their shared history is long, and each’s own personal fight to survive, even longer – the more obvious aspect of what has kept them close and loyal. But there is also a rather mysterious aspect to their fondness for one another that I enjoy, and their playfulness when the world permits. I’m very curious! Angela has a way of shaking things up in great and unexpected ways. She’s like a kid playing with the dimmer switch! I’m very excited!”
“I feel incredibly honored to be a part of The Walking Dead. This show changed my life and career and everyone involved has truly been a family for me over the last decade. I’m thankful for AMC’s love and support and know there’s so much more story to tell and so much more to bring the best fans in the world. Daryl’s relationship with Carol has always been my favorite relationship on the show (sorry Rick),” said Reedus. “I love the way these characters interact and relate to each other on so many levels and can’t wait to see where their ride goes from here.”
The final season of TWD will consist of 24 episodes. Combine that with the six remaining season 10 episodes and you get a total of 30 episodes left in the series. AMC expects TWD will wrap up in 2022.
In addition to Fear the Walking Dead, The Walking Dead: World Beyond, and the just-announced Carol and Daryl spin-off, AMC and Gimple are expanding the TWD world even more with Tales of the Walking Dead, described as “an episodic anthology with individual episodes or arcs of episodes focused on new or existing characters, backstories or other stand-alone experiences.”
