The Walking Dead's Norman Reedus Agreed To Daryl Spin-Off Under One Condition

"The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon" follows everyone's favorite motorcycle-riding zombie slayer to Europe. While taking Daryl (Norman Reedus) to France is enticing enough, Reedus needed more than a quick trip to Paris to commit to the "Walking Dead" spin-off.

According to longtime "Walking Dead" producer Greg Nicotero, the actor wanted to take the next step for his solo adventure, demanding more creative control over "Daryl Dixon." "Norman really rolled up his sleeves as a producer," Nicotero told SFX Magazine. "He had very, very specific input on everything, including that he loved David Zabel. Norman wanted to collaborate with him, and he and I really felt that it was important to have a showrunner who was outside of 'The Walking Dead' universe." Besides vouching for Zabel, Reedus' creative command ensured Nicotero came along for the post-apocalyptic ride across France, allowing the creative duo of the actor and producer to create something different but special with "Daryl Dixon." 

When audiences tune into the spin-off, they'll likely notice "Daryl Dixon" doesn't quite feel like previous "Walking Dead" projects, which Reedus and Nicotero strove to achieve. However, the producer is confident that "Daryl Dixon" will be a breath of fresh air for longtime fans. "I felt really passionate, along with Norman, that we wanted the show to have a different feel... So I was very glad because I didn't need to be behind the camera."

Understandably, Norman Reedus would want to move beyond simply acting within the "Walking Dead" universe, accepting his new producer role for "The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon." Although the actor spent the last 13 years with Daryl, he found a new passion for the character and on-screen universe with the spin-off.

"We're making art," Reedus put it simply in a pre-strike interview with Entertainment Weekly. "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."

Overall, Reedus feels much less pressure with "Daryl Dixon," with the spin-off focusing more on creative freedoms than reaching a specific number of viewers. "We're making art, and there's moving dialogue," he said in the interview, reiterating the passion behind the franchise's latest series. While Reedus doesn't view his time on "The Walking Dead" in a negative light, reflecting on fond memories in the interview, the actor has clearly found a new love for the world and Daryl Dixon with the spin-off. "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," he stated.