It can be hard to create something new after fifteen years of content, but Greg Nicotero will try. The executive producer of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon spoke about new types of zombies in the second season of the spin-off series.
The upcoming episodes are called “The Book of Carol.” They will finally bring best friends Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus) and Carol Peletier (Melissa McBride) back together after they said goodbye in The Walking Dead series finale.
McBride was supposed to be in the first season, but she could not go to the filming location in Europe. Now, Carol knows about Daryl’s kidnapping and will do everything she can to save him.
She will have a tough job ahead. Nicotero shared his vision for bioluminescent zombies, which he will show in the new season. He emphasized the use of practical effects for these glowing monsters.
“During the strike, I came back to the States last year, and we were talking about the bioluminescent zombies. And 70 percent of that was practical effects.
We had LED lights, and we also had this black light wildfire system where we would paint the backside of silicone prosthetics with a black light-activated bioluminescent paint.
And if you watch the outtakes of that scene, you’ll literally see my team standing there with black lights right on the zombie’s faces.”
Nicotero also used visual effects to make the cave walls glow. However, there were some challenges in bringing these zombies to life.
Daryl Dixon Faced Challenges with Bioluminescent Zombies
Practical effects look better on film, but they have some downsides when it comes to production. Nicotero explained that filming the new zombies could only happen for a few minutes at a time.
“We did stuff where we were able to make the inside of the mouth glow. So a lot of it was just hiding stuff, not only in the wardrobe, but then underneath the skin, painting the silicone appliances from underneath, painting some stuff on top.
And then you knew that once you would charge it right before the take, you would have probably 120 seconds of really strong interactive light before it started to fade.
So there was a lot of running in, and charging it, and coming out, and then VFX just sort of amped it up.”
This hard work is important for a horror series that needs to keep changing and renewing itself. Daryl Dixon is a different show from its predecessor.
Filming on the coast of Europe even gives the series a fresh look. To stay interesting, Nicotero and his team keep pushing the limits, making this well-known territory engaging.
Fans can see these new zombies come to life when Daryl Dixon Season 2 starts on AMC on September 29.
