‘The Walking Dead’: Danai Gurira on Rick and Michonne’s Season 9 Relationship and Repopulating

Though they’re time together will be brief, Rick and Michonne are living “in the moment” in Season Nine of The Walking Dead according to Danai Gurira.

ComicBook.com visited the set of the AMC zombie show, which is currently shooting its post-Rick Grimes era, where Gurira opened up about her character’s relationship with the leader of Alexandria. Serving as his level-headed, quick-thinking counterpart, Gurira’s Michonne is enjoying her time with Rick to start the season and making some very important decisions by his side.

“Rick and Michonne are very clear with each other with the vision they had post-Negan and they talk about it in Season 7, Episode 12, when they’re finding weapons,” Gurira said. “The idea of how to navigate a new world, how to create rules and stipulations and maybe — hopefully something resembling a symbolization is something that is on Michonne’s mind. She says it in that episode — she’s the one that brings it up, and Rick talks about not wanting to be the only leader and to co-lead with her in that episode.”

When the new episodes begin with Negan and his Saviors shelved as a threat to Alexandria, Rick and Michonne are both enjoying their time together but planning for a safe future. “Now we’re kind of in that moment,” Gurira said. “That’s actually what the beginning of this season is. It’s us seeing them enacting that vision. She’s in a moment of really trying to pull forth a symbolization and, you know, rebuild. And that’s no small task. “

As for whether or not Rick and Michonne are comfortable enough to start rebuilding the world by way of repopulating it, Gurira is definitely not ruling it out. After all, there is going to be “lots of love” in the upcoming season according to Rick actor Andrew Lincoln.

“Well, I mean, possibly,” Gurira says. “And I think for them it really is practicing what they’re preaching. This is what they’re believing in. I think it’s also something very healing for both of them–to really put their minds to work.”

The two most powerful characters on the show would certainly be setting quite a confident example by bringing a child into the world. “What are we trying to say by how we’re saying we should move forward, and why not enact that amongst each other with our love and our commitment to each other as strong as it is,” Gurira goes on. “But they’re really good at expressing it.”

Fear the Walking Dead airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on AMC. The Walking Dead returns for its ninth season on Oct. 7, 2018. For more updates and insider info all year long, follow @BrandonDavisBD on Twitter!