The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon series is similar to The Last of Us in that the hero is on a mission to accompany a child to a new location in an apocalypse. But, according to executive producer Greg Nicotero, that is where the similarities end. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Nicotero addresses people’s thoughts that Daryl Dixon and The Last of Us are the same story.
Nicotero comments that they were deep into production when The Last of Us premiered. When he watched the first episode, he thought, “Ummm… guys?” as it did have the child connection in common. As the journey continues, viewers will see that while the two series have some similarities, they are very different.
Daryl’s mission is to deliver Laurent to fulfill his destiny, but this isn’t his primary goal. He desires to return to the United States to reunite with his family. Nicotero states that Daryl was “hoodwinked into this detour to France.”
The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon was almost a different story
The series was originally set to take place in the US. Daryl was going to journey around the states, and in each episode, he would encounter new people who would impact his life and do the same for them.
While the story has drastically changed from that original idea, one thing remains the same. Reedus and Nicotero were adamant that while the Daryl Dixon series would continue Daryl’s story, it would need to be done differently. No one was interested in telling the same story.
As with The Walking Dead: Dead City, the series will be very different from the original but still feel a part of that world. Nicotero says that Daryl Dixon will return to The Walking Dead’s roots “Of Rick looking for his family.” Daryl’s primary goal is to return to Judith, Carol, and the rest while delivering Laurent.
The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon premieres on AMC on September 10 at 9 p.m. ET. AMC+ will air new episodes three days early.
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