Spin-off Series for Popular 'Walking Dead' Character in the Works?

By Aimee Mahmoud

The character of Daryl Dixon, portrayed by actor Norman Reedus on AMC's hit-television series "The Walking Dead", based on Robert Kirkman's comic book series, may be getting his own spin-off series. According to popular webzine outlet, ComicBook, Daryl Dixon (and by offshoot, Norman Reedus) has become one of the series most popular characters; Not just throughout the U.S. but has in fact gained an international following, garnering a rabid fangroup by the name of "Dixon's Vixens". The character is famous for his trademark weapon, a hunting crossbow and his survivalist skills that come in handy to the group in their struggle to survive the massive zombie pandemic. Many fans have confessed that they live in fear that Dixon may get killed off at any moment, as has been the fate of several main characters already. Dixon, however, does not appear in the comic book series, as the role was created specifically for Reedus to interpret in the television series.

 Speaking to Access Hollywood, Reedus revealed that the cast and crew have an on-set joke for a spin-off series based on his character and that of Carol Peletier. "We were talking about having a spin-off, and it's Daryl and Carol living in Central Park, and all the squirrels are going missing to Bloomberg's putting out announcements that squirrels are disappearing and we have a sort of [distillery] and tourists come by...and we try to charge them money", he explained jokingly. "We have a theme song that goes, 'Carol is sterile and Daryl is feral/A match made in Hell', so you know, maybe that will happen." 

The prospect of a spin-off series for the character is one that is sure to excite many Daryl Dixon fans. Some, however, have voiced their concern that reative resources should be diverted towards more exciting storylines and subplots for the present series, before any spin-offs are produced. This is not necessarily the case, as many successful television series like Buffy The Vampire Slayer and film franchises like Star Wars have generated incredibly successful spin-off series and stand-alone films focusing on one particular character. Perhaps the fact that the character of Daryl Dixon was created exclusively for the teleplay adaption, and the fact that recent episodes have left some fans with more to be desired, the road for a spin-off series may just be paved in gold.