AMC’s upcoming The Walking Dead spin-off series, starring Norman Reedus, has just bagged itself a new showrunner. According to Deadline, David Zabel, whose past work includes ER and Star Trek: Voyager, has replaced Angela Kang as the leading crew member on the currently untitled Zombie TV series.
The upcoming solo Reedus series is set for a 2023 release and is looking to fill the void left by The Walking Dead as the popular horror show wraps up its 11th and final season. News that the future spin-off isn’t (excuse the pun) dead in the water is a welcome update. Deadline previously reported that Melissa McBride, who was set to star as a main character alongside Reedus, exited the production back in April 2022.
“Unfortunately, [McBride] 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,” AMC wrote in a statement. “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.”
Luckily McBride’s departure hasn’t completely derailed plans, despite scripts being “far down the line” before her exit. As the statement above shows, shooting for the series is still on track along with its 2023 release date, and now with Zabel onboard, production is expected to continue being streamlined.
While we wait on more day walker news, here is our list of the best zombie movies of all time.