Season 4 of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon begins filming in Spain

Although season 3 has not yet aired, AMC is getting way ahead of the game.
Melissa McBride as Carol Peletier, Norman Reedus as Daryl Dixon - The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon _ Season 3 - Photo Credit: Carla Oset/AMC
Melissa McBride as Carol Peletier, Norman Reedus as Daryl Dixon - The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon _ Season 3 - Photo Credit: Carla Oset/AMC

AMC recently announced that season 3 of The Walking Dead’s European-based spin-off Daryl Dixon will hit our screens on September 7 and run for six weeks. The continuing adventures of Daryl and Carol as they cross Europe in an attempt to get home to the USA will begin in England before moving onto Spain, where the majority of the third season takes place.

And it seems Daryl and Carol aren’t making much progress in their journey, as filming began on the fourth season just this past Monday, still in Spain. Star and executive producer Norman Reedus posted a photo to his social media of pre-sunrise scenery, titling it “Day 1.”

Fans were on location for the first day of filming at Sepulveda, a location which was frequently used during season 3, and witnessed both Reedus and McBride on set, along with Spanish cast members Candela Saitta and Hugo Arbues.

Melissa McBride joined Daryl Dixon as a lead in its second season, after appearing as a guest in season 1. Season 2, subtitled The Book of Carol, showed how Carol, feeling a gut instinct that something was wrong and missing her closest friend, set off to find Daryl, eventually tracking him down to France where he had been stuck for some time. After reuniting, the pair managed to bring down tyrant Madame Genet before beginning their journey home by traveling through the "Chunnel" (Channel Tunnel) towards England.

It is not entirely clear how Daryl and Carol end up in Spain when they were headed to England at the end of season 2, but trailers seem to indicate a boat ride goes adrift. The trailers also indicate that Daryl and Carol are accompanied on the water by Englishman Julian, played by British comic actor Stephen Merchant.

In a “behind the scenes” featurette dropped by AMC, Merchant revealed that his character is the last living person in England. A brief clip of the season 3 opener confirms Julian’s story, as he dines with Daryl and Carol in London.

How long Julian remains with the pair is not known, but it's clear Julian will make a big impact on Carol and Daryl, as well as the actors playing them. Melissa McBride revealed in the same featurette that she had spent much of her time on set with Merchant, trying to convince him she was funny until even she was sick of herself. Norman Reedus also praised the original Office star’s ability to switch between humour and darkness.

Several Spanish cast members from season 3 of Daryl Dixon appear to be continuing on in season 4, including Yassmine Othman, who posted a photo of herself reading her script, along with a welcome back note written by a crew member. Meanwhile, listings on the Production Weekly site for the zombie-killing drama show that the fourth season of Daryl Dixon will continue with the same showrunner — David Zabel — and that all episodes will be directed by Daniel Percival, who has directed many episodes since the show’s inception.

It is likely that season 3 will continue some of the themes and plots explored in the first two seasons of the show, including Carol’s guilt over the death of her daughter Sophia, Daryl’s growing desire to “settle down,” and the pair’s complex relationship, which has at times been fraught. Reedus explained that Carol turning up in France to find Daryl came when he was at his lowest point, and that she was the one person in the world he needed.

In addition to the filming news, fans of Daryl and Carol received more exciting news on Monday when it was confirmed that Daryl Dixon will have a presence at San Diego Comic-Con later this month. SDCC’s Portal revealed there will be a Daryl Dixon signing event at the con, which likely means that the stars and creators of the show will be on a panel like they were last year.

The Daryl Dixon coverage at SDCC included several interviews with Norman Reedus, Melissa McBride and Louis Puech Scigliuzzi, who played the young French boy Laurent whom Daryl swore to protect during his time in France. Laurent was last seen on screen heading to the US with Carol’s pilot friend Ash.

Norman Reedus, Melissa McBride
2024 Comic-Con International: San Diego - AMC Networks' "The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon - The Book Of | Matt Winkelmeyer/GettyImages

But San Diego isn’t the only city to be blessed with an upcoming appearance, as SDCC’s Spanish franchise has announced that Daryl Dixon will have a presence at their Malaga con. The Malaga con runs from September 25-28 while the San Diego con runs from July 24-27.

So while the season 3 premiere of Daryl Dixon is still two months away, fans have much to keep them interested in the interim, with several chances to learn more about Carol and Daryl’s perilous journey over the next few weeks.


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