The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon star Norman Reedus confirms a major character will return in season 2 – as the beloved original makes a surprise appearance in the upcoming series finale

Melissa McBride will return to the Walking Dead series as a “series regular” in the second season of the spin-off show The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, Norman Reedus has confirmed.

Speaking at New York Comic Con 2023 on Thursday, the 54-year-old actor revealed some details about the second installment of the spin-off show – and fans couldn’t be more excited.

Joined on stage by Greg Nicotero, Scott M. Gimple and David Zabel, Norman spoke about his beloved character’s journey and confirmed that filming is already underway for the highly anticipated season, which is set to debut in 2024.

Following the news that Melissa’s character, Carol Pelletier, will appear in the Season 1 finale — which airs Sunday, October 15 — Norman went on to say that viewers will see a lot more of her in Season 2, which is called The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon – Carol’s Book.

“My dear friend…the talented and beautiful Melissa McBride will be a series regular in Season 2, and we couldn’t be more thrilled,” the father-of-two announced to cheers from the audience.

The 54-year-old actor made the announcement at New York Comic Con on Thursday

Melissa has played Carol Peletier on The Walking Dead since season one, which first aired in 2010.

It’s not certain exactly how Carol will weave into Daryl’s current storyline, but The Walking Dead fans will remember that the duo last said goodbye to each other in Season 11 – which aired in November 2022.

Carol first appeared in the first season of The Walking Dead in 2010, and is portrayed as an introverted, soft-spoken character who is often meek and aloof. But over time, she became a fan favorite thanks to her epic zombie-killing skills and tough nature, having gone on an amazing journey throughout the show.

Their characters Carol and Daryl first appeared in the third episode of Season 1, “Tell It to the Frogs,” but it took a while for their friendship to blossom — and while the pair were never romantically involved, their relationship is one of the most memorable from The Walking Dead.

Upon hearing Carole’s news, fans rushed to X, formerly known as Twitter, and shared their thoughts with one person writing: “She’s back where she belongs.” I’m so happy Mel is back and it’s finally official.

Another said: “OMG Carole and Daryl Power, legendary,” and a third fan wrote: “I’m so happy!!!!!”

During AMC’s panel at Comic Con, Normand also talked about how his spin-off film will be filmed in France with an all-new cast, including Clémence Poésy, Louis Puech Scigliuzzi, and Romain Levi.

“David.” [Zabel] And I wanted to do different things. There was the first episode, where I met Codron, who plays Roman, and I love this guy… I just love him as a person, he’s so much fun to work with, and he’s a big fan of the show already.

“But in that opening episode, he found me and we got into this big, epic fight, like this fistfight and I won the fight right away, and David and I talked about it and I said, ‘Let me lose a fight, let him beat me.’”

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Fans last saw Daryl and Carol together in Season 11 of The Walking Dead, which aired in 2022

Norman reprized the role of Daryl in the spin-off series set in France

Norman (right) spoke at NY Comic Con 2023 alongside Scott M. Gimple, David Zabel and Greg Nicotero

The father-of-two told fans he will continue to play Darryl “like you guys will do me.”

“And Roman says, ‘Are you sure?’ And I say, ‘Yes, hit me hard! We’ll chop this punch, chop that punch, and just throw me,” and that makes him a more terrifying person to go after me if I can. “Don’t hit him, you know?”

Norman continued, “I don’t mind Daryl being the hero… I just don’t want him to know he’s the hero!” But even with the other actors in this, they’re all very good, and they all have their moments to shine as well, and everyone has their great moments.

“I’ve done a lot of movies, but the thing with TV is that you’re in people’s living rooms every Sunday, and they really get to know you, and they think they know it,” Norman said, explaining why he loved playing Daryl. You.

“And I love aging in front of people, kind of, it’s like this crazy social experiment. I try to look at all the things as a character that I’ve learned from other characters… Daryl starts out one way, and he gets smarter and wiser, and sometimes he doesn’t make the first move anymore.”

I’m having a really good time and people say, “When are you going to cut your hair and play lawyer,” and I’m like, “I don’t know, who cares?” I love playing this game, so as long as you guys have me, I’ll probably do it!’ he added.

Norman emphasized that he is “very grateful” to AMC Network for signing a temporary agreement with the Screen Actors Guild that allows him to film the second season of the show and attend an event like Comic Con to talk about the show.

The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon season 1 finale airs Sunday, October 15 at 9pm ET on AMC and AMC+.