-(60).jpg?q=50&fit=contain&w=1140&h=&dpr=1.5)
The Walking Dead flagship show is ending, but fan-favorite Daryl Dixon is set to get his own spinoff series where he visits Paris, and the zombie apocalypse is set to look much different in Europe. While most of The Walking Dead's characters and storylines have been adapted from Robert Kirkman's comic book, Daryl was an original character created for the show and quickly became one of its most popular heroes. Played by Norman Reedus, Daryl Dixon is a flawed, relatable badass who is one of the few of Rick Grimes' group from Atlanta who has made it to the final episode of The Walking Dead.
Once The Walking Dead has wrapped up, Daryl will be heading across the Atlantic to explore France's version of the post-apocalypse. The exact circumstances as to how Daryl makes his way to Europe are currently unknown, but the details that have been revealed of his Walking Dead spinoff suggest that zombie life is significantly different over there. One of the characters confirmed to join Daryl on his next adventure is Quinn (Adam Nagaitis) who operates a black market and runs an underground nightclub. That suggests the version of the post-apocalypse in The Walking Dead’s Europe spinoff is much more advanced than what has been shown in the United States.
What We Know About France's Status In The Walking Dead
In its 12-year history, The Walking Dead TV franchise has kept very quiet about the post-apocalypse outside of North America. The first hint at how Europe has been coping with the zombie outbreak came in the season 2 post-credits scene of World Beyond. In an abandoned French laboratory, a scientist is murdered, but reanimates within 30 seconds and immediately runs in the direction of her killer. That suggests a marked change from how walkers have been portrayed in the USA and Mexico, who - with the exception of The Walking Dead's final season smarter variant zombies - are much slower and not intelligent enough to remember the direction their killer came from.
Despite the zombies in France being more terrifying than what The Walking Dead is used to, the European country sounds as if it's dealing with the apocalypse pretty well. At New York Comic Con 2022, Norman Reedus described Daryl's spinoff as being "epic in scale" and the confirmed characters for the show back that up. Isabelle (Clémence Poésy) is a member of a religious group, which could be an indication that a community is functioning well, while Quinn's involvement as a nightclub owner naturally suggests that Daryl will end up in a large, thriving French community given it has the capacity to have those sorts of entertainment venues.
Daryl Dixon's Spinoff Details Could Signal A Time-Jump
The biggest question mark over Daryl Dixon's Walking Dead spinoff is exactly how he will get to France. AMC president Dan McDermott has said that Daryl doesn’t go to Europe voluntarily, but further details about the practicalities of the spinoff, like whether Daryl gets to France by land or sea - which would have implications as to how far in the future the new show is set - are unknown. A time jump will likely be necessary to differentiate Daryl’s spinoff from The Walking Dead, but given Norman Reedus will still be playing Daryl, it's unlikely that a potential time jump would be much longer than a year.