Norman Reedus Talks About Two Major Deaths On ‘The Walking Dead,’ Fears Show Is ‘Losing Its Heart’
Norman Reedus opens up about his fear of The Walking Dead“losing its heart” now that some of its original first season characters already departed.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, the 49-year-old actor revealed that the hit zombie-themed TV series will be facing two more major deaths when it returns this year.
Reedus, who plays Daryl Dixon since its first season, admitted that losing “key members” of The Walking Dead will be a “big blow,” adding that these original characters are the “heart of the show.”
“The people that started this show, to me, are the heart of the show. When you lose those key members, it’s such a big blow.”
Norman also sounded sentimental when he discussed that The Walking Dead only has a few original characters left. He pointed out that having those people off the series makes it a “totally different show.”
“If you wanted to turn it into a totally different show, you get rid of those people,” Reedus explained. “But if you want to hold on to what made the show special, you’ve got to be very careful what you do with those people.”
With the impending exit of two major characters, Norman will soon be one of the four season one cast members to remain on the show, which includes Melissa McBride, Andrew Lincoln, and Danai Gurira.
So who will be killed off next? According to reports, two fan-favorites will meet their demise when the show returns — Carl and Morgan.
It can be recalled that in The Walking Dead’s midseason finale, Carl, played by Chandler Riggs, was bitten by a zombie and is expected to die soon. On the other hand, Morgan, played by Lennie James, will be leaving by the end of the season to join the show’s spinoff, Fear The Walking Dead.
Carl’s shocking exit reportedly angered avid fans of the show. According to Forbes, a petition calling for showrunner Scott Gimple to be fired already gained 80,000 signatures.
Apparently, many were convinced that The Walking Dead showrunner treated Chandler in an unfair manner. The actor’s father, William Riggs, also expressed dismay on his son’s firing just weeks before his 18th birthday and after he’d been promised to be on the show for at least three more years.
The Walking Dead will return for its second half on February 25, 2018. And with the impending deaths of Carl and Morgan, fans can expect a lot of changes to the remaining characters, especially with Rick.
As for Daryl, Norman Reedus promised fans that they will see his evolution in the show’s second half.
“There’s some really good Daryl stuff coming up with some of the characters he’s been going toe-to-toe with.”
