Melissa McBride to return as Carol in ‘The Walking Dead’ spinoff

An official announcement has been made as part of production studio AMC’s presentation at New York Comic Con that Melissa McBride will be reprising the role of Carol Peletier in season two of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon.

READ MORE: ‘The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon’ first reviews draw comparisons to ‘The Last Of Us’

Season two of the series is still in production and is set to debut in 2024, however the season one finale, which will reportedly feature McBride in a guest appearance, will be aired on October 15 on AMC and AMC+ in the US. A UK release date for the series is yet to be announced.

Fans of the Emmy-winning post-apocalyptic series, The Walking Dead will see two of the show’s most popular characters reunited in the spinoff’s finale, with Norman Reedus continuing in the titular role.

The fan-favourite actors have both hinted at Carol’s return, with Reedus saying, “How do you know she’s not gonna come back?” when asked by Variety, and with McBride telling Entertainment Weekly in 2022, “I feel like Carol has more story to tell. I’ll leave it at that. I think she’s got some more story.”

McBride initially opted out of the spinoff in April 2020 after appearing in the acclaimed series for more than 12 years and starring in 125 episodes. At the time of her exit, Reedus defended her decision to leave, telling The Tonight Show, “Twelve years is a gruelling schedule. She wanted to take some time off and she’s doing that. She deserves it.”

The original series saw Daryl and Carol’s characters grow closer as it went on, with Reedus telling Variety, “She [Carol] was a very big part of Daryl’s story,” hence why many fans were surprised that McBride wasn’t initially set to reprise her role.

More recently, in a statement from AMC Reedus weighed in on McBride’s return saying, “I’ve known there was much more to be told of Carol’s story as I felt so unsettled when we last saw her, as she watched her best friend, Daryl, ride away.”

The actor added, “Apart or (hopefully!) together, their stories run deep, and I’m so excited to continue Carol’s journey here.”

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