The Walking Dead: Rick and Michonne Spinoff Pushed to 2024
The as-yet-untitled The Walking Dead spinoff featuring Andrew Lincoln and Danai Gurira will not debut until 2024, AMC revealed today during their Television Critics Association presentation. The series is the last scheduled Walking Dead spinoff that has been announced so far, with The Walking Dead having just wrapped up in late 2022 and Fear the Walking Dead set to conclude later this year. Little is known about the Rick and Michonne series, other than that it will reunite the two characters onscreen and provide closure to two of the most beloved characters in The Walking Dead history. Characterized as an "epic love story," the spinoff was teased at Comic Con International in San Diego last summer, with a 2023 release date at that time.
The series finale of The Walking Dead drew more than 2 million -- more than any episode since February 2021 -- but those numbers still pale in comparison to the 10 million-plus who routinely watched the show in its heyday. AMC, who changed the plans from making a Rick Grimes theatrical movie into a prestige miniseries, is clearly hoping that a return to Rick and Michonne will help recapture some of the lightning in a bottle that made The Walking Dead a cultural phenomenon.
"It's a truly exciting year for the Walking Dead universe as we conclude an epic journey on Fear the Walking Dead, which became one of the most successful shows in the history of cable television. And now we are set to bring forth the next iteration of the franchise – two new and anticipated series featuring the beloved characters of Maggie, Negan and Daryl. Along with that we begin production on the next chapter in Rick and Michonne's unforgettable love story, which we look forward to sharing next year," said Dan McDermott, president of entertainment and AMC Studios at AMC Networks. "This next phase of our beloved Walking Dead franchise promises to engage and enthrall faithful viewers. Fans new and old will love seeing zombies walking across the Brooklyn Bridge, beneath the Eiffel Tower, inside the Louvre, and at dozens more exotic and iconic locations from around the country and world."
Scott M. Gimple, chief content officer of The Walking Dead Universe, added, "The Walking Dead Universe lives! To conclude Fear the Walking Dead, we're thrilled to be bringing you one of its most vibrant, inventive, exciting seasons EVER, while breaking new ground with old favorites: Maggie and Negan in the madhouse of post-apocalyptic Manhattan with no one to depend on but each other…Daryl Dixon in France, a loner who cannot move through this new dangerous world alone, facing vicious enemies and never-seen-before threats of the undead. And Rick and Michonne, in a romantic saga of the dangerous road to each other, and the road they must find with each other, cornered by a new civilization and hordes of the dead. Lauren Cohan, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, showrunner Eli Jorné, Norman Reedus, showrunner David Zabel, Danai Gurira, and Andrew Lincoln are creating heart-wrenching, heart-pounding magic for the next phase of the TWDU!"
Speaking with ComicBook.com's Brandon Davis at the finale celebration for The Walking Dead, longtime star Lennie James expressed interest in appearing in the upcoming spinoff. James's Morgan stepped in to help Rick early in the series, allowing the audience a glimpse into his desperate fight to keep his son safe during the zombie apocalypse. Living as a survivalist, Morgan cleared out an untold number of walkers, but never could pull the trigger when it came to his undead wife, Jenny. Later, audiences would learn that Morgan lost his son after he got too close to Jenny and was bitten.
"I would work with Andy any day of the week on any planet, anywhere in the universe," James told ComicBook.com's Brandon Davis at the finale event. "I still speak to Andy, I saw him when I was last in London, we hung out for a minute. he's a friend for life, and there's a few friends for life on this job, which is why I'm so grateful for it."
Are you looking forward to seeing Andrew Lincoln and Danai Gurira return to the universe of The Walking Dead? Sound off in the comments below.