‘The Walking Dead’ Spinoff: Norman Reedus Considered a Major Change to His Character Daryl Until His Fiancée ‘Put Fear’ in Him
The Walking Dead ended this year, but fans of the zombie show don’t have to say goodbye to their favorite characters just yet! There are many spinoffs in the works, including one with Norman Reedus’ fan-favorite character Darryl. For his upcoming spinoff, Reedus considered making a big change to his iconic character, so what changed his mind?
All of ‘The Walking Dead’ spinoffs in the works
The 11th season of The Walking Dead was its last, wrapping after a whopping 147 episodes. However, the story will continue, with a few spinoffs already in the works.
An anthology series, titled Tales of the Walking Dead, will hit AMC+ in August. The series boasts guest stars like Parker Posey, Olivia Munn, and Jessie Usher. It’s also rumored that familiar faces from the original show will appear.
Isle of the Dead will follow Negan and Maggie as they head to New York City. All major plot details are unknown. Is Maggie teaming up with Negan? Is she tracking him down? Fans can’t wait to see what happens.
Finally, there is Daryl’s spinoff. The show was initially intended to focus on both Daryl and his friend Carol, but actor Melissa McBride decided to back out. The show, which has not yet been publicly named, was set to follow the pair on a road trip of some kind. With Carol no longer in the picture, will Daryl still hit the road? Fans will have to wait and see.
The major change Norman Reedus’ fiancée talked him out of
Reedus is just as tight-lipped when sharing details about the new show, telling Men’s Journal that even he doesn’t know many details about the upcoming spinoff. However, one thing will stay the same in the new show: Daryl’s iconic hairstyle.
The actor revealed he was thinking about cutting his hair to give Daryl a new look for the new show. However, his fiancée, actor Diane Kruger, warned him against it, pointing to the failure of ’90s drama Felicity after lead actor Keri Russell cut her hair.
“It put fear in me,” Reedus admitted. No surprise, he ended up not getting a haircut. Luckily, Kruger was there to save him!
Norman Reedus and Diane Kruger’s relationship
Reedus and Kruger first met in 2015, while they were co-starring in the movie Sky. At the time, Kruger dated Dawson’s Creek star Joshua Jackson. She and Jackson split in 2016. Kruger was spotted kissing Reedus in New York a year later.
The couple made their red carpet debut at 2018’s Golden Globes and welcomed their first child later that year, a daughter named Nova.
Reedus proposed to Kruger in 2021, but his original plan was thwarted by the weather. The couple was taking a motorcycle trip from Atlanta to Savannah, and the actor wanted to pull over and pop the question. However, a surprise rainstorm ruined his plans.
“I ended up doing it at our home in Georgia with our daughter on my lap,” he shared “My daughter starts crying, we’re all crying, and she wails, ‘Why are we crying?’ I tell her they’re happy tears, and she’s like, ‘Yay, they’re happy tears!’”
Fans of The Walking Dead can’t wait to see Reedus play Daryl again, and they’re thankful to Kruger for talking the actor out of that potentially disastrous haircut!
