Danai Gurira, star of The Walking Dead, will be co-creating the Rick and Michonne spinoff series alongside Scott Gimple. The Walking Dead is currently one of the largest horror franchises in the world, with the television show having garnered six spinoff series, a talk show, a novel series, and several video games. The show premiered on Halloween 2010, and is currently in the last part of its final season. The Walking Dead's series finale, "Rest in Peace," is expected to premiere on November 20.
As The Walking Dead entered into its final season earlier this year, more projects from the TWD universe began to be announced. It was originally intended for The Walking Dead's main story to continue with a trilogy of Rick Grimes-centric films after the series came to an end; however, in July, it was announced that the film trilogy was being scrapped in favor of a six-episode Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and Michonne (Danai Gurira) spinoff miniseries instead. Though little has been revealed about the project since, the spinoff will be concluding Rick and Michonne's storylines, as both Lincoln and Guirira departed The Walking Dead in 2018 and 2020, respectively. The series is set to premiere sometime in 2023.
In an interview with SELF, Gurira revealed that not only will she be starring alongside Lincoln in the spinoff series, but she'll also be co-creating and co-writing it. Gurira says Walking Dead's Rick and Michonne spinoff will start filming in January 2023, and that the spinoff is "an epic love story tale." Gurira will be creating the series alongside The Walking Dead writer and producer Scott Gimple.
Why Gurira Co-Creating Is Promising Sign For The Walking Dead Spinoff
While Gurira is most well-known for her acting work on projects like The Walking Dead and Black Panther, she is also an award-winning playwright. In 2016, Gurira wrote Eclipsed, a Broadway play telling the story of five women surviving at the end of the Second Liberian Civil War. Eclipsed was nominated for five Tony Awards, including Best Play, and won the Tony for Best Costume Design. The play also won Gurira a Lilly Award for Outstanding Playwriting in 2016. With a history of acclaimed writing under her belt, having Gurira onboard as a co-creator and co-writer for the Rick and Michonne spinoff is certainly an encouraging sign.
Though there are several other Walking Dead spinoffs in the works, including a Maggie and Negan spinoff, Dead City, and Daryl Dixon, the Rick and Michonne spinoff is undoubtedly one of the most highly-anticipated. Both Rick and Michonne were beloved characters it was devastating to see them exit the show, especially with so many questions remaining unanswered. With filming on the series set to begin in just a few months, it's only a matter of time before more details about Gurira's The Walking Dead spinoff are released.