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.
Still from The Walking Dead Daryl Dixon (Credit: AMC+)
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.
Luca Guadagnino impresses audiences again with the tense drama in this year’s Challengers, but he has already announced his next project. Queer will be shown in select theaters across the United States starting on November 27.
The new drama premiered in North America at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival. It will be featured again at the New York Film Festival, giving audiences another chance to see it in a couple of months.
The story of Queer centers around William Lee, played by Daniel Craig. William is an American living a lonely life in an expatriate community.
His life takes a turn when a young student, played by Drew Starkey, enters his world. What once seemed like a dull routine transforms into William’s journey to find a meaningful connection with someone.
The emotional drama that develops between William and Eugene Allerton becomes the heart of the film.
The cast of Queer also includes Jason Schwartzman, Colin Bates, and Lesley Manville. Schwartzman will appear as Jason Zanderz in Megalopolis, the upcoming film by Francis Ford Coppola.
He also made a memorable impact on pop culture as The Spot in last year’s Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. Before joining the drama of Queer, Lesley Manville played Princess Margaret in the last two seasons of The Crown.
‘Queer’ is Directed by Luca Guadagnino
Luca Guadagnino keeps busy. Before working on Queer, he released one of the most praised movies of the year, Challengers.
This film shows the world of professional tennis. Tashi Duncan, played by Zendaya, is a famous player whose relationships with Art Donaldson, played by Mike Faist, and Patrick Zweig, played by Josh O’Connor, complicate her life.
Still from Queer (Credit: Frenesy Film Company)
Guadagnino is also well-known for directing Call Me By Your Name, a passionate adaptation of a novel that made Timothée Chalamet a major star in the industry.
The story of Elio and his love for Oliver, played by Armie Hammer, received attention at the Academy Awards after its release in theaters.
Given Guadagnino’s attention to detail in his projects, Queer is likely to be another story that stays in viewers’ minds long after they watch it.
Queer will have a limited theatrical release in the United States on November 27.
