Carl's Walking Dead Spinoff Idea Revealed By Star After Controversial Exit

EXCLUSIVE: Chandler Riggs reveals how Carl Grimes' story could have continued after his controversial fate in The Walking Dead.

One of the biggest differences between The Walking Dead comics and show is what happens to Carl, as he survives the events of the source material but dies in season 8 of the adaptation. The decision to kill his character proved to be incredibly divisive among the fandom, especially given the pivotal role he plays in the comics' Commonwealth arc, which the television series did not adapt until the eleventh and final season, and given how his death changes the narrative of the overarching story.

In an interview with ScreenRant's Grant Hermanns for his live-action Resident Evil fan film, Biohazard, Riggs shared that he wrote a pitch for a Carl spinoff set between seasons 7 and 8, sent it to The Walking Dead's Chief Content Officer Scott Gimple, and had discussions with the executive about the project. The actor explained that the spinoff explored Carl when he still believed in killing being necessary to survive, and how he goes from this mindset to becoming a pacifist in season 8. Check out Riggs' comments below:

Oh man, there was a point in time where we had talked about a potential for Carl coming back, and not in a hallucination or flashback, but a story for him. I actually had written out this thing and sent it to Scott [Gimple] of there's a gap between season 7 and 8, where he's — not bloodthirsty, but ready to kill, ready to do what it takes to take out [others]. He doesn't want to kill people, but like he'll do what it takes. And then to go from that to pure pacifist, to like, "No, we're not killing any more people." I think there's an opportunity there for us to explore what he experienced during that month of time to send him down this path. I think if we were to tell any other story for Carl, specifically, and he's not coming back to preach some sort of message into another character or something, that's what I would want it to be. What did he see? What did he witness or experience to send him down this path of, "Okay, no, we're gonna figure out a way for all of us to live together. We're not just gonna kill all of them."

Given that not much time passes between seasons 7 and 8 in The Walking Dead timeline, Riggs' proposed spinoff likely would have been best-suited as a miniseries as opposed to being an ongoing show. In this sense, it could have been akin to the later spinoff The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Lives, which only has one season, six episodes, and is confirmed to not be doing anymore. To ensure that Riggs still looked Carl's age between seasons 7 and 8, it also would have needed to be filmed not too long after those seasons.

While the franchise did not choose to pursue this spinoff exploring Carl's road to pacifism, his philosophy went on to significantly impact the story after his death. The letter he leaves for Rick includes wishes for his father to find peace with Negan Smith (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) and to show everyone that there is a way forward without killing. Rick ultimately honors his son's wishes, including sparing Negan's life, with the character living on and playing a major part after the war with the Saviors, and even getting his own spinoff with Maggie Rhee (Lauren Cohan) called The Walking Dead: Dead City.

The Ones Who Live and Dead City are only one of several spinoffs the franchise has done, with others being Fear the Walking Dead, The Walking Dead: World Beyond, Tales of the Walking Dead, and The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon. If Riggs' idea had moved forward, it would have predated many of these, along with being set much earlier in the post-apocalyptic universe's timeline.

With no seasons of The Walking Dead universe confirmed beyond the upcoming Daryl Dixon season 4, it's uncertain what's in store for AMC's hit franchise. Riggs' spinoff is an idea that could potentially be revisited, although it would now come with the challenge of nearly a decade having passed since the last time he played Carl, along with the story now being much further removed from the character's death.