The Walking Dead’s Scott Gimple says spin-off will be new frontier

The Walking Dead Carol and Daryl spin-off will be a whole new world

Although chief content officer Scott Gimple did not appear in AMC’s Talking Dead TWD Universe Preview Special on Sunday, he made his presence felt with statements about the new spin-offs of The Walking Dead, which host Chris Hardwick read for fans.

Gimple’s statement about the recently announced Carol and Daryl spin-off revealed more about the ethos behind the show, whilst reassuring fans on the longevity of the The Walking Dead world, and the characters within it. Here’s what he said:

"The next chapter with Daryl and Carol will be a great deal about discovery. A new world, a new tone, a new frontier of story and purpose. All while carrying the lessons learned from the people who have made up their apocalypse family – their hard won victories and painful losses. And maybe, just maybe, these characters might finally be comfortable enough in their own skins – and I don’t mean in the Alpha kind of way. Rest assured we will be throwing a hell of a lot at them to make them uncomfortable, but there’s an incredible 30 episodes ahead of heroism and horror that completely recontextualizes the world of the Walking Dead and set the stage for all that’s to come. With Daryl, Carol and stories alongside theirs, hopefully with a lot of the faces you’re seeing on the screen right now. There’s a universe of story left, the Walking Dead lives."

This quote backs up Gimple’s recent quote given to Insider, stating that the new show would be different, with a different tone.

Now he has expanded on this concept further, with talk of a “new frontier”. Could that frontier be New Mexico – a location the characters of Carol and Daryl have repeatedly mentioned in season 10?

“Frontier” is also a word associated with the wild west, so maybe this new spin-off will link to FearTWD, with it’s wild west styling and stories?

Either way it seems the show is going to be exploring a whole new world, both in terms of location and in terms of a story for Carol and Daryl.

It also seems likely, from Gimple’s quote about “being comfortable in their own skin” that we may finally reach the end of Carol and Daryl’s personal traumas and doubts, and find them with a new confidence and inner peace.

Of course, the characters will not be able to entirely shake off their past – nor should they, as Gimple points out they have very timely lessons learned from all their battles. The events of the past few years have shaped who they are and can’t be ignored.

Carrying those scars – visible and emotional – may be the very thing that allows them to head into this new world of discovery, with a knowledge and assurance that they can help those they meet.

Those lessons learned could be the incentive behind the “new purpose” Gimple mentions, with Carol and Daryl heading out to see if they can pass on their experience to those still struggling with the world.

However, as Gimple is quick to point out, there is a long-road to travel between then and now, and who knows what events might occur, and how that might change Carol and Daryl and the road they travel.