DIA DE LOS MUERTOS

FROM THE US, THROUGH FRANCE, TO SPAIN, SFX JOINS THE GLOBETROTTING ADVENTURES OF EVERYONE'S FAVOURITE CROSSBOW-TOTING WALKER-STALKER, DARYL DIXON, ON HIS LATEST EUROPEAN ADVENTURES

- WORDS: HENRY CALVERT

WITH THE SUN beating down on dusty streets, buildings a mixture of tans and oranges, this is certainly a far cry from the marshy landscapes and medieval architecture of Mont Saint-Michel. For SFX, Daryl Dixon and Carol Peletier have found themselves in the centre of Madrid, Spain, for the latest instalment in the Walking Dead Universe, season three of Daryl Dixon.

It’s a manic day on set. As we enter, antiquated cars start firing their engines, horses covered in chainmail whinny, and crew members run about with boxes of weapons — arrows, swords and a familiar crossbow. As we're guided in by executive producer and showrunner David Zabel, we pass over 50 walkers packed into a makeshift walker-filled moat meant to protect the compound inside. What could possibly go wrong? On today’s agenda: shooting it going wrong.

“This is probably the most difficult sequence we've shot so far,” says Zabel. “It’s a big climactic sequence in episode six of seven. We really want to bring a lot of value to our audience through our big set-pieces so we aim to have two or three per episode.”

CRASH COURSE

As the crew prepare for a take the commotion ebbs to an anticipatory hush. A promenade of classic cars, equipped with all manner of apocalyptic armaments, passes through the compound; the vehicles come to a halt just before the moat of Walkers. On a monitor we can spy Norman Reedus, playing the titular Daryl Dixon, perched on a nearby rooftop, scoping out the situation and prepping his team of new friends to strike. After seeing Daryl conquer the apocalyptic US for 12 years, it’s striking to see our hero framed against a picturesque Spanish backdrop.