Walking Dead Rick & Michonne Spinoff Filming Start Date Revealed
The Walking Dead star Danai Gurira has revealed when her Michonne zombie spinoff series co-starring Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes begins filming. Gurira first portrayed the katana-wielding Michonne in The Walking Dead season 3, joining the core survivor group during a conflict with the Governor and his Woodbury settlement. Over the course of the show, Michonne’s cold exterior was softened by a growing relationship with protagonist Rick Grimes, with the pair becoming a couple in season 6. After Rick was unknowingly captured by the CRM in season 9, episode 5, Michonne would take on his last name and raise his daughter Judith and their son, Rick Jr., on her own.
In The Walking Dead season 10, episode 13, Michonne would be captured by Virgil, a survivor with conflicting motives who kept his allies locked in a cell. During her time with Virgil, she discovers a beached military boat that contains a phone etched with Rick’s name, a drawing of her and Judith, and Japanese text. She also finds possible proof of Rick’s whereabouts, leading her to go hunting for her lost love. The setup in Michonne’s final episode will lead into 2023’s upcoming Rick and Michonne spinoff series. Described by showrunner Scott M. Gimple as « an epic and insane love story, » the 6-episode show will focus on Rick and Michonne’s journey following Rick’s capture by the CRM and Michonne deciding to search for him.
In an interview with SELF, Gurira reveals The Walking Dead’s Rick and Michonne spinoff will begin filming in January 2023. Gurira also establishes herself as a co-creator on the show, working with Gimple to create an engaging story for fans of both Michonne and Rick Grimes. Check out the details of Gurira’s statement below:
Gurira is certainly working to bring her own stories forth. She’s currently ‘in high gear’ working on her Walking Dead spinoff, which she reveals is set to begin shooting in January. Following Michonne and Andrew Lincoln’s Rick Grimes after their departures from the main show in 2020 and 2018, respectively, Gurira describes the upcoming series as ‘an epic love story tale.’ As a cocreator (along with The Walking Dead producer and writer Scott Gimple) of the spinoff, which she calls a ‘prestige miniseries,’ Gurira has found it exciting to help build the show from the ground up.
When Will The Walking Dead Rick & Michonne Spinoff Release?
With filming set for January, it appears Rick and Michonne will be some of the last familiar faces in The Walking Dead’s universe to return after the end of the flagship series. AMC is planning to release 3 Walking Dead spinoffs in 2023, starting with the Maggie and Negan-led The Walking Dead: Dead City in April. Another spinoff, Daryl Dixon, started filming in France earlier this month, indicating it will be the next spinoff to come out following Dead City. With a filming start date of January, Rick and Michonne may not return to the zombie franchise until late 2023. Given the propensity for new seasons of The Walking Dead to start in October, it wouldn’t be surprising for a series featuring the show’s original protagonist to do the same.
The show’s announcement came after the cancelation of a Rick Grimes movie trilogy, set to tell the story of the missing six years between Rick’s capture and the time jump at the end of season 9, episode 5 of The Walking Dead. With Lincoln and Gurira’s new series nearing its filming date, it should prove compelling to see how many plans from the films are translated into the show. Andrew Lincoln sightings in France have also sparked rumors that Rick will appear in Daryl Dixon, perhaps setting up his and Michonne’s upcoming series. With a filming date set for January, it may be awhile until viewers see Rick and Michonne return to the world of The Walking Dead. But with Gurira helping to create the project, it should prove worth the wait.
Source: SELF
