Posted in: AMC, HBO, Preview, TV, Walking Dead | Tagged: amc, Daryl Dixon, HBO, the last of us, The Walking Dead

The Walking Dead: Nicotero on The Last of Us, Daryl Dixon Differences

The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon EP Greg Nicotero explains how the Norman Reedus-starrer is different from HBO's The Last of Us.

With only a little more than a week to go until AMC & AMC+'s Norman Reedus-starring The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon hits our screens, series executive producer (and TWD Universe icon) Greg Nictotero is setting some records straight. With the spinoff series finding Reedus' Daryl tasked with delivering Louis Puech Scigliuzzi's Laurent somewhere so that he could potentially become the savior of humanity, some folks have pointed out some similarities with HBO's award-winning series adaptation of the video game franchise The Last of Us. But don't think for one second that was lost on Nicotero, who also noticed a common thematic thread when he checked out the first episode of the Pedro Pascal (Joel) & Bella Ramsey (Ellie)-starrer. But – as Nicotero is about to explain – there are some major differences between the two once you begin to dig a little deeper.

While sharing that he enjoyed the HBO series "tremendously," Nicotero adds that the spinoff was "already deep into production when 'The Last Of Us' came out." That said, it was tough for Nicotero not to see the similarities – adding, "I remember watching the first episode of 'The Last of Us' and going, 'Ummm… guys?'" But beyond a basic, on-paper similarity between the two, Nicotero makes it crystal clear whose story this is going forward. "It's really a continuation of Daryl's story. He's willing to deliver this kid, but that's not his sole purpose. His purpose is he has people at home he has to get back to. He needs to get back to Judith, and Carol, and the people at the Commonwealth," Nicotero shared during his interview with EW. "He kind of got hoodwinked into this detour to France. I think the idea that he connects with this kid feels a little like 'The Last of Us,' but once you get into the journey, it doesn't feel quite as similar to me. They're different enough that you can enjoy both."

Though plans for Reedus' hero to get his own spinoff date back six years, Nicotero also revealed that the original plan was to have Daryl stateside. "It was going to be Daryl going across the country, like through New Mexico or the Midwest. And it was kind of like a 'Then Came Bronson' or 'The Fugitive' or 'Kung Fu' – a stranger in a strange land. In every episode, he would come in contact with people that would change his life, and he would change their life. And that was where this whole show stemmed from. It was something that Norman was super passionate about," Nicotero revealed.

AMC's The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon Preview

With AMC & AMC+'s The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon hitting on September 10th, we have a rundown on what we've seen of the series so far – kicking off with a look back at the official trailer:

In the middle of watching the Jeffrey Dean Morgan & Lauren Cohan-starring The Walking Dead: Dead City, we found ourselves suddenly getting a look at Daryl (Reedus) entering Paris via a boat ride along the Seine. The two things most striking about the teaser are that it's the first one that showed a more settled Daryl instead of him suffering and that the Eiffel Tower has definitely seen better days:

In the clip that was released during the previous weekend, things were not going too well for Daryl when it came to what appeared to be his extended "visit" to France. Beginning with a look at some castle ruins, the focus shifted to a look at Daryl strapped to a bed and clearly in some kind of altered state. We're going to assume he was drugged – especially when that blazing-hot poker makes its way onto Daryl's skin. Was it for his own good – or was Daryl being branded as part of something "bigger"? Let me just say that when you throw surgical tools and nuns into the mix, there are about a hundred different ways this could go – here's a look:

In AMC & AMC+'s The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, Daryl (Reedus) washes ashore in France and struggles to piece together how he got there and why. The series tracks his journey across a broken but resilient France as he hopes to find a way back home. As he makes the journey, though, the connections he forms along the way complicate his ultimate plan. Joining Reedus & McBride in the cast are Clémence Poésy as Isabelle, Adam Nagaitis as Quinn, Anne Charrier as Genet, Eriq Ebouaney as Fallou, Laika Blanc-Francard as Sylvie, Romain Levi as Codron, and Louis Puech Scigliuzzi as Laurent. Now, here's a look back at more teasers & first look at the fall-debuting spinoff series:

With TWD CCO Scott M. Gimple, Showrunner David Zabel, Reedus, Greg Nicotero, Angela Kang, Brian Bockrath, and Daniel Percival executive producing, here's a look back at the previously-released teaser for The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon as well as a look behind the scenes at the production and more:

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