With the release of Dead City, we’ve now entered the next era of The Walking Dead universe, where the story will continue in myriad spinoffs taking place after the conclusion of the main show. Currently, Maggie (Lauren Cohan) and Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) are exploring a zombie-infested New York City. And later this year, Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus) washes up in France!
The idea of Daryl suddenly ending up in France poses several questions. Why did he go there? Was he captured? How does he even get there? From what we know so far, it’s safe to assume that Daryl is taken across the Atlantic against his will. In fact, in a short promo following the premiere of Dead City, we see Daryl, passed out, floating across the ocean to France. Take a look:
You can’t convince me that Daryl has floated all that way on a tiny raft. He’d be dead by the time he got halfway across the ocean. Most likely, his journey started on a bigger ship and he was kicked off and forced to sail alone.
The teaser also confirms that AMC is moving forward with the title The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, which is not the most imaginative of titles. The six-episode debut season will premiere later this year, although no release date has been set yet. Watch this space.
Lennie James (Morgan Jones) bids goodbye to The Walking Dead franchise… for now
Lennie James is one of the longest lasting stars in The Walking Dead universe, having worked on the franchise for over a decade. His first appearance dates all the way back to 2010, in the first-ever episode of The Walking Dead. Despite a few breaks, he kept returning to the franchise, eventually landing a key role in its spinoff Fear The Walking Dead.
Lennie James appeared to make his final bow as Morgan in the mid-season finale of the final season of Fear the Walking Dead. The show gave his character some closure, sending him to King County to return to his home and put down his zombified son Duane. In his final scene, he walks off into the sunset with his daughter Mo in search of Rick Grimes.
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, James recounted his final day on set:
"The end didn’t feel real, to be honest. It was weird, because on one level, it felt like just another episode wrap, but there was just a lot more noise, many more cast and crew around, and lots of hugs and tears. I think, in the moment, it was too much to compute. It was the end of the day, the sun was going down, and it was a little overwhelming."
Despite concluding his journey on Fear the Walking Dead, James isn’t writing the possibility of a return sometime in the future. After all, Rick Grimes is returning next year in another spinoff. “All I can say is this chapter of Morgan’s story is over, and it has been my pleasure and honor to count myself among the amazing cast, crew and storytellers that bring FTWD to life,” he said.
There’s always something Walking Dead-related on TV. Catch Maggie and Negan traversing Manhattan in Dead City, airing Sundays on AMC!
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