The Walking Dead star Melissa McBride has quit the forthcoming spin-off featuring Daryl and Carol.
Sources have reportedly confirmed to TVLine that McBride will no longer be involved in the offshoot and it will now focus on Daryl instead.
“Melissa McBride has given life to one of the most interesting, real, human and popular characters in The Walking Dead universe,” an AMC spokesperson said in a statement.
“Unfortunately, she is no longer able to participate in the previously announced spin-off focused on the Daryl Dixon and Carol Peletier characters, which will be set and filmed in Europe this summer and premiere next year.
“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.”
The spin-off was confirmed in 2020 with Reedus admitting how it changed following the flagship show’s original ending.
Reedus explained how The Walking Dead planted a seed for the spin-off in the season 10 episode Lines We Cross, in which Daryl and Carol muse on the idea of going to New Mexico together.
The characters were going to leave the show while it was still airing, but that changed as the news broke that the flagship series will end after season 11.
“I didn’t know the flagship show would end,” Reedus admitted at the time. “The whole thing was we would take off and we’d come back and check in and we would take off.”
He added: “To be honest, I was hoping that would never happen because that’s the mothership. I’m scared to leave the mothership. That’s scary new ground. I’m excited for the spin-off and I’m excited for the type of show it will be, but I didn’t see that coming.”
Earlier this month, The Walking Dead aired the last episode in the second of the three arcs that make up the series’ 11th and final season.
The Walking Dead season 11 finale will air later this year.
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