The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon producer dismisses The Last of Us comparisons

For the last decade, The Walking Dead has been the biggest and most successful post-apocalyptic drama in the world, but now there’s a new kid on the block. HBO’s The Last of Us earned huge critical acclaim when it premiered earlier this year. As the shows battle it out, fans are starting to notice that the latest Walking Dead spinoff, Daryl Dixon, shares some interesting similarities with The Last of Us.

In The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, Daryl (Norman Reedus) washes up in France and gets tied up in local problems while trying to find a way back home to the United States. He finds himself inside an abbey run by a group of nuns where he’s tasked with escorting a special child across the desolate, zombie-infested countryside.

Sound familiar? Joel (Pedro Pascal) has a very similar task in The Last of Us, where he had to escort Ellie (Bella Ramsey) across the U.S. Fans have been pointing out the comparisons, but Daryl Dixon producer Greg Nicotero recently dismissed the claims. “We were already deep into production when The Last Of Us came out,” he told Entertainment Weekly. “I enjoyed The Last of Us tremendously.”

Daryl Dixon producers admits that The Walking Dead spinoffs “feels a little like The Last of Us“

Moreover, Nicotero pointed out that the core of the story is totally different. “It’s really a continuation of Daryl’s story,” he explained. “He’s willing to deliver this kid, but that’s not his sole purpose. His purpose is he has people at home he has to get back to. He needs to get back to Judith, and Carol, and the people at the Commonwealth.”

"He kind of got hoodwinked into this detour to France. I think the idea that he connects with this kid feels a little like The Last of Us, but once you get into the journey, it doesn’t feel quite as similar to me. They’re different enough that you can enjoy both."

One thing is for sure: this show is going to be The Walking Dead Universe as we’ve never seen it before. Both Nicotero and star Norman Reedus wanted to reinvent the franchise. “None of us were interested in doing it if it was just more of the same,” Nicotero said. “Norman didn’t want to do that. I didn’t want to do that.”

Funnily enough, this isn’t the first time that The Walking Dead has been accused of copying The Last of Us. There was a moment in Dead City where Maggie (Lauren Cohan) has to fight a super-walker in the sewers of Manhattan. The walker was very, very similar to the Rat King from The Last of Us: Part II. This is a comparison that has more legs…literally.

The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon premieres on September 10 on AMC.

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