Melissa McBride will be making an appearance in The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon after all, according to Negan actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan – and some on-set footage captured by eagle-eyed fans.
Way back in April 2022, AMC stated that McBride, who plays Carol Peletier in the hit zombie franchise, would no longer be fronting the spin-off with Norman Reedus, due to the fact that it was filming overseas. This week, however, the actor has been spotted shooting scenes with Reedus in France.
In a behind-the-scenes pic shared by Morgan, Reedus's Daryl is rocking a black eye. Now, the character has had a couple of shiners throughout The Walking Dead's run, but given the slashed wound on his other eye, we can deduce that these new Daryl and Carol exchanges are likely set before the former rode off on his motorcycle in the series finale, when his black eye and cut from earlier on looked mostly healed.
That means, that although McBride was seen in Paris, her scenes almost certainly take place in the US within the story. In the first look at The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, the titular apocalypse survivor looks to have been strapped to a sailboat, lost at sea. No sign of Carol...
"Well well. We're sorry Norman… fer talking oodles of shit to you when we thought melissa wasn't doing show," Morgan wrote, seemingly poking fun at the backlash McBride's earlier "exit" sparked from longtime viewers. "Golly… this must of been in the works for ages! (Twas from start) Goddamn it's great seeing these two together! Can't wait! Xojd"
"[Daryl and Carol] will be set and filmed in Europe this summer and premiere next year. Relocating to Europe became logistically untenable for Melissa at this time," an AMC rep explained last year. "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." Guess that future was closer than they first thought...
Morgan is currently reprising his role as Negan Jones opposite Lauren Cohan in a separate, Manhattan-based spin-off The Walking Dead: Dead City. For more, check out our handy guide on how to watch The Walking Dead franchise in order, or have a look at our list of the most exciting new TV shows heading our way.
