FRENCH REVOLUTION

THE WALKING DEAD SPIN-OFF SHOWRUNNER DAVID ZABEL ON BEING GIVEN THE TOUGH TASK OF REUNITING DARYL AND CAROL IN FRANCE

- TARA BENNETT

IN THE 14 YEARS OF AMC'S THE WALKING DEAD universe, the 2022 announcement that the muchanticipated spin-off series The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, starring Norman Reedus, would be set and filmed in France ranks as one of the most unexpected twists of the whole franchise.

From his introduction in the third episode of the flagship series, Daryl Dixon has always represented the personification of the insular, rural American. From his poor, abused upbringing to his indefatigable loyalty for the very few people he trusts, Dixon is the antithesis of worldliness. However, Reedus and his character's global popularity remains undisputed to this day. So the rough biker with a good heart found himself the ultimate fish out of water, literally washed up on the shore near Marseilles in season one.

Over six episodes, Dixon travelled across the gorgeously destroyed ruins of France trying to figure out exactly what had happened to him. With no memory of that, no friends and no French-speaking skills, Dixon was forced to connect with feisty nun Isabelle Carriere (Clémence Poésy); her nephew - and possible Messiah - Laurent (Louis Puech Scigliuzzi); and eventually, Losang, (Joel de la Fuente) the pacifist Union of Hope leader.

The man responsible for this radical arc is showrunner/executive producer David Zabel (ER), a newbie to the Walking Dead universe. He tells SFX that even as a casual fan, Dixon was always a favourite of his. So when he got the job to run the spin-off, he was thrilled to be able to drop Dixon (and Reedus) into a fresh environment that would force the character to confront his past and present without the crutch of his Commonwealth family, including bestie Carol Peletier (Melissa McBride).