Norman Reedus has praised the artistic freedom of his Daryl spin-off – and has some interesting comparisons to his time working on The Walking Dead.
"We’re making art," Reedus told Entertainment Weekly of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, the Europe-set spin-off that sees the downtrodden survivor wash up on French shores.
Reedus points to his process on The Walking Dead – which ran for 11 seasons – as something that would often become safe and repetitive.
"I think with doing a show as long as The Walking Dead for that many years, whether you know it or not, you fall into a rhythm of repeating things that work. I found myself saying some of the same lines over and over, and did all the other sorts of storylines that we had done before, maybe with another character or whatever. Now, we're not following anything."
For Reedus, though, the Daryl Dixon spin-off is a "different animal" entirely – one that isn’t focused on ratings or its pop culture cache.
"I feel like we're not cranking it out for numbers on a Sunday night. We're making art, and there's moving dialogue. It's a different animal and it's beautiful, it's touching, and it's sort of amazing to look at and listen to and watch and feel," Reedus explained.
Reedus also added in the interview that elements of The Walking Dead ("especially those early years," he notes) will remain intact for long-time fans. Producer Greg Nicotero, however, has previously teased a new walker variant that will “change all the rules” of undead engagement.
The six-part first season of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon begins airing on September 10. A second season is planned, as is a follow-up to The Walking Dead: Dead City, the New York-set spin-off starring Maggie (Lauren Cohan) and Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan).
The Ones Who Live, featuring Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and Michonne (Danai Gurira) reuniting for the first time in years, will air in 2024.
Need to catch up? Here's how to watch The Walking Dead in order.
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