After over a decade on television, the time has finally arrived: The Walking Dead has finished filming its eleventh and final season. It’s an emotional farewell for everyone involved, but for Norman Reedus (Daryl), who’s been there from the very beginning, it’s on a nother level of goodbye.
Taking to Twitter after his final day on set, the actor thanked fans for joining him for all 11 seasons. “Thank you to all of you that took this ride with us and what a ride it was,” he wrote. The actor attached a short clip from his earlier years in the show working alongside Melissa McBride (Carol). They’ve both been there since season 1, making them the longest-serving characters on the show.
That’s a wrap. 11 seasons 12 years. Never been so beat up and it was an absolute blast. Thank you to all of you that took this ride with us and what a ride it was ❤️ @ Georgia https://t.co/tprcwmATC5
— norman reedus (@wwwbigbaldhead) March 31, 2022
“I mean, The Walking Dead has been such a huge part of our lives in every way you can imagine,” the actor previously told Inquirer, saying that the final episodes will be bigger and better than ever. “But, you know, my hope is that we really go out big. I feel like we owe it to ourselves and the fans… for the show to really go out with a bang.”
Sure, The Walking Dead may be over, but Daryl’s journey isn’t. Back when AMC revealed that the show was coming to an end with season 11, they also announced a spinoff show following Daryl and Carol . Despite getting literally no updates regarding this spinoff since it was announced, the hope is that we’ll see it on our screens as early as next year. Another spinoff, Isle of the Dead, follows Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) and Maggie (Lauren Cohan) and is already confirmed to debut in 2023.
The franchise isn’t taking any breaks, that’s for sure.
Paola Lazaro (Princess) weighs in on The Walking Dead ending
Paola Lazaro only joined The Walking Dead as Princess in season 10, but we feel like we know her as well as everyone else. The fact that we’ve only got a few more episodes with Princess is very disappointing. After putting so much energy into playing the character, Lazaro is now facing the end. “It’s definitely bittersweet,” she told Insider.
Every actor on the show has said that the cast and crew feel like family. And after filming an exhausting extended 24-episode final season, emotions are running higher than ever. “I think we’re all tired physically, but we are just sad to say goodbye to each other — to the crew, the cast, everybody behind the scenes,” Lazaro said. “To not wear my coat anymore, my pink jacket, it makes me kind of sad. I fell so in love with this character.”
With a glut of spinoffs on the way, perhaps season 11 won’t be the end of Princess’ story.
The Walking Dead continues Sundays on AMC.
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