Move over, Boba Fett: Daryl Dixon season 2 will be "The Book Of Carol"
Melissa McBride is set to return to the Walking Dead spin-off, which she originally dropped out of shortly after it was first announced
[This article contains spoilers for the first season of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon.]
Today, in “We genuinely can’t believe they’re actually calling it that” news: The Walking Dead franchise has confirmed that not only will star Melissa McBride be returning to the undead world for the upcoming Daryl Dixon season two, but that the season will even carry her name: “The Book Of Carol.” Just like Boba Fett!
This was part of the Walking Dead’s appearance at New York Comic Con this weekend, which also confirmed some surprisingly spoiler-ish material from the most recent episode of the series, which centers on Norman Reedus’ titular crossbow-lover as he kills his way across zombie-plagued Europe.
Besides the title, the Carol news is mostly interesting in light of certain behind-the-scenes developments: Namely, that Daryl Dixon was originally conceived as a joint Daryl and Carol show, before McBride dropped out of the project, reportedly because filming in Europe was going to be “logistically untenable.” (Reedus issued a note of support for his long-time co-star at the time, reminding fans that she “deserves” a break after years of playing one of The Walking Dead’s most popular, and longest-running, characters.)
McBride issued her own statement about the news that she was suddenly getting her own Book Of Her, saying that, “I’ve known there was much more to be told of Carol’s story as I felt her so unsettled when we last saw her, as she watched her best friend, Daryl, ride away. Apart or (hopefully!) together, their stories run deep, and I’m so excited to continue Carol’s journey here. This team of storytellers have done amazing work to land these two established characters in an entirely new world to them, and I’m loving the discoveries!”
The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon wraps up its first season on October 15.