The Walking Dead Showrunner on “Worthy” Michonne Exit: “I Just Hope We Didn’t Screw It Up”

The Walking Dead showrunner Angela Kang says her biggest concern in Season 10, her sophomore effort as showrunner, was giving longtime star Danai Gurira a "worthy exit" in her final season as Michonne. Gurira, who is expected to exit before the season finale after appearing in just a handful of episodes this year, is the second major departure following Rick Grimes star Andrew Lincoln's mid-season exit a year ago in Season 9. When handling this final story for Gurira's Michonne, who joined the zombie drama in its third season in 2012, Kang and her writers' room were careful to exercise the "same kind of seriousness" when handling Lincoln's departure that spun him off into a forthcoming movie trilogy.

"We've been so fortunate to have somebody like Danai playing the role of Michonne, because that character, in the comics, it's an iconic character in this other medium. And obviously we wanted her to be an iconic character in the TV show," Kang said on The Hollywood Reporter's Series Regular podcast. "I think that Danai and just the passion, and the energy, and the intelligence that she brought to the role all these years — that impact has been incredible."

Like her katana-wielding walker slayer who now serves as chief of Alexandria, Gurira "has been a great leader on set."

"She's just a tireless athlete, just threw her all into that aspect of it, and she's an amazing writer and storyteller in her own right," Kang said, adding Gurira was "great in terms of being a collaborator when we're talking about story."

Kang met with Gurira, an accomplished playwright, for her say in Michonne's Season 10 story. Gurira previously praised Kang for her collaborative spirit in Gurira's final season.

"[TWD showrunners] like to have conversations with the actors and just kind of talk to them about where their character's heads are at, and a lot of times those conversations end up informing the story," said Kang. "Or sometimes we'll say, 'Here's what we're working on in the story,' and the responses back kind of inform things too, or inform the performance. So there's that back-and-forth which has been really valuable."

The showrunner and the creative team felt a duty to do right by Gurira and her character as much as they felt a responsibility to the audience who made Michonne a fan-favorite.

"I think for the fandom, they've embraced her just as we have, internally, and I think for people who are fans of Michonne, I really hope that we give her a worthy exit," Kang said. "That's certainly been heavy on my mind ever since I knew that this would be her last season."

Beyond appearing as Wakandan warrior Okoye in Marvel Studios blockbusters Black Panther, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, Gurira's outside commitments include coming HBO Max series Americanah. Gurira will serve as showrunner for the first time on that series.

"We kind of knew for a bit it was coming — for people who follow any of the entertainment news, they might know that she has had her own show as a writer and showrunner picked up, which is amazing," Kang said. "She's an incredible writer, so I'm very excited for her to kind of open that chapter of her life in addition to all of her acting work."

On wrapping up Michonne's story in the mothership series, she continued, "We went at it with the same kind of seriousness that we treated Andy's exit last year."

"Her character has been so memorable, so I just hope we didn't screw it up, I don't know," Kang said. "I never know until it's out there, but we know that we're just excited about the work that Danai did. She's a powerhouse and a force of nature, and the work that she does on screen is just beautiful and really moving and powerful, I think, throughout."

Michonne will take a big step towards her exit in the Season 10 midseason finale, "The World Before," when she takes a trip back to Oceanside alongside daughter Judith (Cailey Fleming). There Michonne and Judith will encounter a mysterious new survivor who has an important role to play this season.

"The World Before" premieres Sunday, Nov. 24 at 9/8c on AMC. For more TWD intel, follow the author @CameronBonomolo on Twitter.