The Walking Dead Universe is set for another new chapter in 2024 as we dive into new stories and revisit old ones. Here’s what you can expect.
2023 brought about the beginning of a new era for the world of The Walking Dead. The classic AMC TV series had ended the year prior, leaving audiences wondering about what its future would look like. But that ending was only the beginning as the characters within that series returned in a number of new spinoffs that took them on new adventures.
The Walking Dead: Dead City brought Maggie and Negan back into play as a new threat brought them to New York City, while The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon saw Norman Reedus’ beloved warrior return to screens as he traversed the uncharted territory of France.
However, 2023 was also the end of another era for the TWD Universe, as long-running spinoff Fear The Walking Dead came to a close, bringing back longtime fan-favorite Madison Clark to send it off on its final journey. And with that, all eyes are once again directed to the future of the world of TWD.
It’s still an incredibly exciting time to be a fan of this franchise, and with that, we set out sights on 2024 and the shows that await us.
The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live
Release date: February 25, 2024
This is the one we’ve all been waiting for. In fact, it’s the only onw we’ve all been waiting for since before the end of The Walking Dead. Andrew Lincoln will return to his most iconic role, bringing Rick Grimes back from the apparent dead (he didn’t really die), while Danai Gurira will also reprise her role as Michonne in a six-part series that will see the pair find their way back to each other.
Lincoln left the TWD mothership early into its ninth season, with a fakeout death being fabricated to make all of his loved ones think he was gone. One season later, Michonne figured out that he was still alive and Gurira departed the show as the character went off in search of him. The pair returned for brief cameos in the series finale, highlighting that their story was just beginning.
Rick was taken by the Civic Republic Military (who had quite the role on spinoff miniseries World Beyond), which means we’ll finally get to understand more about the mysterious organization popping up all over the TWD Universe. That’s exciting in and of itself. But what’s most exciting is the fact that we’re going to see him and Michonne back in action one more time.
This series has been a long time coming, and the fact that it’s just a few short months away makes me giddy with excitement.
The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon season 2 (The Book of Carol)
Release window: 2024
To say The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon was a pleasant surprise would be an understatement of just how surprising it was. The truth is that the show caught most viewers off-guard with its nuanced storytelling and stunning cinematography, and that is a testament to it.
We were all expecting big things from it, but I’m not sure any of us expected anything this big. With a refreshingly different storyline that promises to explore the world a lot more than its predecessor did (including making use of different types of walkers) and a moving storyline at its heart, which sees Daryl protect a young boy named Laurent, Daryl Dixon was a revelation.
Season 2 has already been filmed, and we know that it will premiere on our screens in 2024. That much was confirmed in the first teaser trailer for the sophomore outing. What’s even more exciting is that Melissa McBride joins the cast full-time, reprising her role as TWD’s Carol Peletier.
Subtitled The Book of Carol, Daryl Dixon will look more like the spinoff’s original incarnation, as both McBride and Norman Reedus will be leading it. We can’t wait to see this dream team reunite on our screens.
The Walking Dead: Dead City season 2
Predicted release window: 2024 / 2025
The Walking Dead: Dead City awakened old wounds for Maggie Rhee as she was thrust into yet another drama involving Negan – the man who killed her husband Glenn and served as one of the biggest bads on The Walking Dead. Her son had been kidnapped by an old acquaintance of Negan’s who wanted to reunite with the former villain. Maggie reached out to her archenemy for help, and the pair made their way into New York City.
There were twists aplenty in Dead City as Maggie and Negan had to learn to work together all over again. That was easier said than done. However, after successfully rescuing Hershel from The Croat, Negan surrendered himself to his old friend – only to find out that he was being recruited to lead the charge of a new civilization in Manhattan.
There was scope for season 2, as Maggie felt the weight of her guilt after lying to Negan about his purpose there. And with that, the second season will likely see her return to the city in a bid to rescue her former enemy. But what kind of man will Negan have become by the time she shows up?
Dead City season 2 has indeed been confirmed but it has not yet commenced filming, so the earliest we could expect it would probably be fall/winter 2024. With The Ones Who Live coming early next year and Daryl Dixon‘s second season already completing production, there will likely be a spot in the winter just waiting for Dead City. That said, don’t be surprised if it shows up in early 2025 instead. At this stage, it just depends on when production begins.
The TWD Universe could continue beyond these spinoffs
Fear The Walking Dead may have concluded, joining The Walking Dead and spinoff series World Beyond in doing so, but there is still life in the TWD Universe, it seems. A lot of life actually.
The fate of anthology series Tales of the Walking Dead remains up in the air, but it sounds like the franchise could continue to spin off new tales based on past or new characters. When speaking to Collider last year, the Chief Content Officer of the TWD Universe Scott Gimple revealed that they were “getting the next phase ready”. While that could refer to the second seasons of Daryl Dixon and Dead City (and potential second season of The Ones Who Live), it sounds like we could be getting even more TWD shows in the future, as Gimple also added that “there are other projects that have been on the burner, as well”.
The thought of more TWD in the coming years is exciting, but the question remains: Who could these other projects focus on? Could it be a season 2 of Tales? Perhaps we could see some Fear characters star in their own spinoff? Or maybe we could see some of them cross over with other TWD characters.
The possibilities are endless for this universe, and we can’t wait to see what’s in store from the upcoming spinoffs, the returning shows, and the sheer potential of what comes next. Whatever it is, we’ll be seated and ready.
This is just the beginning for the TWD Universe.