The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon producer teases "amped-up" zombies in season 2

Greg Nicotero has been involved in The Walking Dead franchise from day one. He's been a key figure in the show's success, from working as a make-up artist to becoming an executive producer and even directing several episodes. In the spinoff show Daryl Dixon, he's been able to tackle a wholly different environment in France, with all-new walkers.

Daryl Dixon season 1 introduced us to a couple of new walkers. There're the ones that are enhanced by humans using a dark mix of experimental chemicals, making them faster and significantly more aggressive. And secondly, there's the naturally occurring 'Burners' that leave a nasty rash on everyone they touch; Daryl Dixon himself is victim to a Burner on his first day in France.

In season 2, Nicotero and his team further hone in on the subculture of zombies. "In the universe of the show, there’s this whole subculture of amped-up zombies now," he told The Hollywood Reporter. "There are these experiments making the zombies faster and deadlier, as we established in season one. This season… well, you’ll see. You’ll see more things like veins crawling around their faces. We shot this one sequence, an attack, with lots of zombies, and we had them running."

Nicotero has long been considered a zombie purist. He previously worked on Day of the Dead, a movie from zombie godfather George A. Romero, who famously disliked any form of running zombies. What made Nicotero change his mind? "People were coming up to me asking, 'Are you okay with zombies running? I know you’re a purist.' And I said, 'Look, it makes sense! There’s a reason why they’re running. It’s not just someone said, ‘Zombies should be fast,’ and we’re doing it,” he explained. 

I've seen all of Daryl Dixon season 2, and I can tell you that the zombies are definitely amped up to another level. Obviously I can't spoil anything, but there's new walkers and new environments involved that will absolutely blow your mind! Check out our spoiler-free review of season 2 here.

The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon season 2 — The Book of Carol continues Sundays on AMC.

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