'The Walking Dead' season 8: Norman Reedus 'unhappy' about Carl's death

The impending death of Carl Grimes (Chandler Riggs) in “The Walking Dead” has been a devastating development for the cast members, too. Riggs has been part of the show from the very beginning, having grown up in the eyes of everyone. Fellow cast member Norman Reedus (Daryl Dixon) shared his feelings about how the death has affected him.

Reedus was “desperately unhappy” after learning that Carl will die on the show, the actor said in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. He said that he has known Riggs for so long and that it “hurts” to “lose a family member.”

Carl’s death is particularly shocking because the character is seen as one of the central figures, someone expected to carry the show forward for the next generation as heir to Rick (Andrew Lincoln). Reedus always thought that Carl would be the “last man standing,” the actor said in the interview.

With the death of Carl, the only remaining cast members since the first season are Reedus, Lincoln and Melissa McBride (Carol Peletier). Reedus said the producers have to be very careful when it comes to killing off major characters because they are the ones who made the series special, but they can, of course, do so if they wish to take the show in a different direction.

Executive producer Robert Kirkman defended the move by saying that future “big, huge” storylines, based on the comic series, will not be altered because of Carl’s death. “There are plans in place to make it all work,” the producer said, adding that the storylines from the comics will be a little different in the TV adaptation.