Naman Shrestha
Based on ‘The Walking Dead’ character of the same name, ‘The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon’ is the fifth spin-off in the popular ‘The Walking Dead‘ franchise, set after the conclusion of the superhit AMC television series of the same name as the latter. Created by David Zabel, the post-apocalyptic drama series revolves around the adventures of Daryl Dixon, a crossbow-hunting, motorcycle-riding fan-favorite character from the original series as he finds himself stuck in France, miles away from his homeland in the US. With no clue in relation to how he got there, Daryl embarks on a mission to unravel the truth and find a way to leave the European continent and return to the Commonwealth.
However, his journey is marred with several hindrances, the primary one being ensuring the safety of a young boy named Laurent and dropping him at a secret location. With the prolific Norman Reedus reprising the role of the titular character, the sixth show in the ‘TWD’ universe features some fresh faces in the ensemble cast, comprising the talents of Clémence Poésy, Louis Puech Scigliuzzi, and Adam Nagaitis, as well as the return of some original cast members. If the magnificent but zombie-stricken setting of the French Republic has got you wondering whether the show is shot on-location, you can rest easy for we have the answers you seek. Here’s everything you need to know about the places where ‘The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon’ is filmed!
The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon Filming Locations
‘The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon’ is filmed in France, especially in Paris and several other locations across the European country, including Arles, Occitanie, and Normandy. According to reports, principal photography for the debut season commenced in October 2022 and carried on for several months into the following year. So, without wasting any time, let’s follow Daryl on his new journey and navigate all the specific locations that make an appearance in the spin-off series!
Paris, France
A major chunk of ‘The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon’ is lensed in Paris, with the production team traveling across the capital and setting up camp in different streets and neighborhoods, decorating and framing them to make them appear ruined and abandoned in order to complement the show’s setting and tone. With the Eiffel Tower being a frequent feature in the backdrop of various scenes, several other landmarks and establishments serve as prominent filming sites as well.
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For instance, Norman Reedus and the rest of the team utilize the premises of the Louvre Museum and Panthéon at Place du Panthéon, both in Paris. Considering the predominant theme of the show, it is fitting that the filming unit shoots some key portions in the Catacombs of Paris. Situated at 1 Avenue du Colonel Henri Rol-Tanguy, they are underground ossuaries that are known to house more than six million people. In addition to several rundown historical castles and countryside, you are also likely to spot the Seine River in the backdrop.
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Other Locations in France
For shooting various important sequences of ‘The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon,’ the cast and crew also travel to other locations across France. In particular, Abbaye de Montmajour at Rte de Fontvieille in Arles serves as the home base of Isabelle and her followers. This is where Daryl is given shelter by the religious group from the surrounding walkers. Several prominent scenes for the show are recorded on Pont du Gard Aqueduct, which is an ancient Roman bridge situated near the town of Vers-Pont-du-Gard.
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Mont-Saint-Michel, a tidal island in Normandy, France, has to be one of the most striking and picturesque landscapes that features in the post-apocalyptic series. The production designer, Clovis Weil, talked about some of the benefits of shooting on location during a September 2023 interview with CBR. He explained, “…We had some really great studio stages and a few sets that we totally built. But the interest was to have kind of a road movie — a Daryl Dixon road movie (starting at) the south of France, to have many key locations that are very iconic and very representative of France, and to have this apocalyptic feeling.” All these demands of the studio were met, thanks to the strong locations of France.
Speaking about the challenges the crew faced while creating an apocalyptic setting in the French locations, Weil added, “So the first challenge is not to mess up everything and to find ways to make things not definitive — very temporary. The other difficult part is that, in a few places like Paris, we need to mess up things where people are living. We need to be very quick in the way we install things, not to disturb things, people, or places too long. This is the real challenge. We need to be very fast to build the set and to wrap it up afterward. We need to prepare everything far away sometimes. When we prep everything hundreds of kilometers away, we have three days and wrap it up as fast as possible. Time is a real concern on-location.”
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