The Walking Dead Will Have Michonne for Most of Season 10

Season 10 of The Walking Dead will be the final batch of episodes of AMC’s zombie series to feature Danai Gurira as Michonne. The actress who joined in the show’s third season confirmed her exit during a Hall H panel on Friday at San Diego Comic-Con. On the heels of losing Andrew Lincoln after five episodes in Season 9, the series won’t handle the exit in the same way. Rather than feature Michonne in only the first five episodes, the character will be featured throughout the season.

Traditionally, The Walking Dead films its new episodes in order. Occasionally, a scene will be shot for another episode or production will call for things to be switched around but Season 10 is doing things entirely differently. It’s unclear how many episodes Gurira will appear in for Season 10 and whether or not she will stick with the series through its production wrap in November. Still, the AMC series is filming its season out of order, having already filmed the twelfth episode of the season, and keeping Gurira’s Michonne around for at least that long.

On the flip side, this might mean Gurira will only appear in episodes every few weeks, similar to what the actress did when she was filming both Season 8 of The Walking Dead and Marvel’s Black Panther movie. Then again, it’s possible the actress sticks around throughout production and the episodes are being shot out of order for another reason.

In any case, Gurira’s Michonne will run far deeper into Season 10 than Andrew Lincoln’s Rick Grimes ran into Season 9.

“I can confirm that this is the last season I will be on the amazing TV show as Michonne,” an emotional Gurira said during TWD‘s Hall H panel. “I’d just like to say that this has been one of the purest joys of my life, to play this role, and to be amongst these people and those that are not here right now and amongst all of you. I’m very, very thankful for the experience I’ve had in ways that I can’t even express right now. My heart does not leave in any way shape or form.”

The Walking Dead returns for its tenth season on October 6. Fear the Walking Dead will return for the rest of its fifth season in August. For updates and inside info all year long, follow me on Instagram and Twitter!