‘The Walking Dead’ Daryl-Carol Spinoff Undergoes Major Shakeup Following Melissa McBride’s Exit

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The Walking Dead’s planned Daryl and Carol spinoff has undergone its second massive shakeup in less than a week. Just days after AMC confirmed that Melissa McBride, who played Carol in the original series, exited the project, showrunner Angela Kang has departed as showrunner.

Deadline confirmed in an April 29 report that Kang, who acts as showrunner on the flagship series, has been replaced as showrunner on the untitled project by former ER showrunner David Zabel. When the series was first announced to be in development, Kang was attached as showrunner. Kang, per AMC and Deadline’s report, has since decided to step back from that position to focus on other projects he has in development with AMC. Kang will remain attached to the project as executive producer.

The shakeup comes just days after the entire premise of the series was thrown for a major loop when AMC confirmed that McBride would no longer be attached, leaving Daryl Dixon actor Norman Reedus the series’ solo lead star. In confirming her exit, AMC said in a statement that McBride decided to leave the series due to logistical reasons, as the spinoff will be set in and shot in Europe.

“Melissa McBride has given life to one of the most interesting, real, human and popular characters in The Walking Dead Universe. Unfortunately, she is no longer able to participate in the previously announced spinoff focused on the Daryl Dixon and Carol Peletier characters, which will be set and filmed in Europe this summer and premiere next year,” the cabler said. “Relocating to Europe became logistically untenable for Melissa at this time. We know fans will be disappointed by this news, but The Walking Dead Universe continues to grow and expand in interesting ways and we very much hope to see Carol again in the near future.”

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Production on the series is set to begin in Europe in the next few months. It is unclear what shape the series will now take with McBride’s exit. Deadline reported, “While scripts for the spinoff were pretty far down the line before McBride’s departure, a strategic pivot is taking place now to meet the start of shooting overseas in the next two or three months.” The series was set to premiere sometime in 2023 following the series finale of The Walking Dead, now in the midst of its 11th and final season, but it is unclear if that date will be pushed back amid McBride and Kang’s exits.