Norman Reedus isn’t ready to step aside from playing Daryl Dixon any time soon.

Only a handful of performers on The Walking Dead have been with the franchise nearly as long as Norman Reedus. The actor made his first appearance as Daryl Dixon in the third episode of the series, before staying with the show for its entire 11-season run. Reedus is currently starring in a spin-off series, The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon. And if the actor gets his way, he’ll be playing Daryl for years to come.

During an interview with Mr. Feelgood, Reedus said he was willing to keep portraying Daryl for “maybe six or seven more years.” Reedus also noted that the Daryl Dixon series has reinvigorated his interest in the franchise.

“The Daryl Dixon spin-off has given me an opportunity to take the show in a direction that’s different to the original show,” said Reedus. “I didn’t want to make the same show again in a different location. I wanted to reinvent it. And they let me, with the other like-minded people involved, invent something new. So it feels fresh to me. It’s in a different language. It’s shot a different way. It’s not really about zombies, and who’s going to get bit this week, it’s completely different. So as long as I keep reinventing it, it’s fun.”

The upcoming second season of Daryl Dixon is officially bringing Melissa McBride back in a leading role as Carol Peletier, a part she’s played as long as Reedus has portrayed Daryl. McBride was originally slated to co-headline the spin-off with Reedus from the very beginning before those plans fell through. However, McBride officially joined the show in the first season finale when Carol began searching for Daryl.

AMC will premiere the second season of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon – The Book of Carol on September 29.