Norman Reedus Doesn't Believe Melissa McBride's Exit From The Walking Dead Spin-Off Is The End For Daryl And Carol

Fans of "The Walking Dead" were shocked last week when it was announced that series favorite, Melissa McBride, was no longer going to appear in the upcoming spin-off series, "Daryl and Carol." For the uninitiated, that's a huge deal as McBride is the "Carol Peletier" part of that title. The show was set to follow Norman Reedus and McBride's characters as they went on their own adventure, as well as honor the longevity of the two remaining original cast members. Unfortunately, once the production planned to move out of Atlanta, Georgia where "The Walking Dead" primarily shoots and instead head to Europe, McBride no longer felt the logistics of production worked for her and needed to step away from the project. The series is still moving ahead as planned with Reedus still on board to continue the arc of Daryl Dixon, but fans were furious with Reedus, believing that he made the call to move the series to Europe to be closer to his wife, German actress Diane Kruger.

The official AMC Twitter account had to post a three-part statement regarding McBride's departure, as Reedus was being inundated by angry fans, despite the fact Reedus was not a part of the decision to leave Atlanta. "It is inappropriate to direct negativity and anger at another cast member for a disappointing outcome he had nothing to do with," AMC tweeted. The channel also went on to praise McBride's performance, tweeting, "Carol is a beloved & vital character and we are working to find a way for fans to again follow her story, as only Melissa could give life to, in the expanding universe around 'The Walking Dead.'" The social media team behind the account isn't alone in believing this isn't the end of Carol's story. Norman Reedus believes this to be true as well.

During a recent interview with Jimmy Fallon on "The Tonight Show," Reedus talked about the upcoming spin-off, as well as McBride's departure. "Twelve years is a grueling schedule," Reedus said. "She wanted to take some time off and she's doing that, she deserves it."

Reedus and McBride are the two most veteran members of "The Walking Dead," with their entire lives dictated by the show's scheduling for over a decade. He also spoke to the difficult nature of production, joking with Fallon, "It's not 'Succession' where you're like, on a yacht having caviar, we're eating squirrels and killing each other."

McBride may be taking time off, but Reedus doesn't think this is the end of Daryl and Carol's story.

"I imagine those characters are going to meet back up at some point, and they might even meet up with some other characters down the road. In the meantime, they were like, 'Hey, you wanna go on a mission?' And I'm like, 'Yeah, let's go on a mission.'"

"The Walking Dead" season 11 is currently airing on AMC and the AMC+ streaming app.