The Walking Dead Boss Shares New Details For Rick And Michonne's TV Show And Daryl's Spinoff
For years, The Walking Dead fans were mentally preparing themselves for Andrew Lincoln to return as Rick Grimes on the big screen, only for those plans to get a massive tweak at this year’s Comic-Con, where it was revealed Lincoln and Danai Gurira would be reuniting for a six-episode limited series on AMC. That series is perhaps the highest-profile spinoff possible, in a lineup that also includes Norman Reedus’ Daryl-focused offshoot and the currently filming Isle of the Dead follow-up with Maggie and Negan. While many facts about each of those shows are still behind lock and key, franchise ringleader Scott Gimple thankfully shared some new details during Talking Dead’s preview for everything coming up in the Walking Dead universe.
Rick And Michonne’s Spinoff
With Tales of the Walking Dead co-star Terry Crews sitting on the Talking Dead couch as interested as anyone could be about everything being shared about the new series, Scott Gimple & Co. craftily made audiences wait until the very end of the special for all things Rick and Michonne to come up. But at least his description makes the new project sound like it’s exactly what fans are hoping for. Here’s how he started:
Maybe it’s just me, but Gimple seemed to be speaking bemusedly when addressing the fact that he and others have worked for as long as they have on nailing down the proper way to approach a Rick-geared follow-up. Now that it’s finally gone beyond the concept stage and is closing in on the “let’s actually film this thing” stage, the former Walking Dead showrunner can at last use concrete descriptions like “epic and insane love story” to describe the project without having to worry about things pivoting in a different direction.
But even though fans will get to experience all the feels that are expected to accompany Andrew Lincoln and Danai Gurira’s on-screen reunion as Rick and Michonne, that doesn’t mean we’re only going to see the iconic characters in ooshy-gooshy mode. Scott Gimple said they will definitely tap back into their more primal and violent selves.
How all of this will factor into the CRM group that took Rick away after he nearly died in Season 9 is anyone’s guess, but I’m betting there will be a lot of uniformed bodies on the ground when Rick and Michonne walk off into the metaphorical sunset.
Daryl's Spinoff
On the Daryl side of things, not a whole lot of info has come out in the aftermath of Walking Dead star Melissa McBride deciding to back out of co-leading that spinoff as Carol. But now Scott Gimple has revealed exactly where Daryl will resurface in the world following the mothership series’ finale later this year, and confirmed Talking Dead host Chris Hardwick’s interjection on how it ties into TWD: World Beyond’s series finale (which will also pay off in TWD proper’s final eight episodes).
If anybody had questions about how Maggie and Negan were going to make it from the mainland to Manhattan in all its post-apocalyptic glory, those questions will no doubt be magnified several times over by the prospect of Norman Reedus' redneck survivor crossing an entire ocean. (You just know he's one of those people who'll just shout the same thing louder when talking to someone who doesn't understand English.) That said, I would get a kick out of seeing Daryl completely change up his personality while in a place where literally no one knows him, assuming we don't later learn that someone else from the Walking Dead stable will join him in the spinoff. He should get some thin glasses and a lab coat, stat.
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Speaking to both France and Isle of the Dead's NYC as settings for this new era of Walking Dead content, Scott Gimple said:
While fans won't get to see any of those spinoffs until 2023 and beyond, The Walking Dead will return to AMC relatively soon for its final eight episodes, which will kick off on Sunday, October 2, at 9:00 p.m. ET.
Nick is a Cajun Country native and an Assistant Managing Editor with a focus on TV and features. His humble origin story with CinemaBlend began all the way back in the pre-streaming era, circa 2009, as a freelancing DVD reviewer and TV recapper. Nick leapfrogged over to the small screen to cover more and more television news and interviews, eventually taking over the section for the current era and covering topics like Yellowstone, The Walking Dead and horror. Born in Louisiana and currently living in Texas — Who Dat Nation over America’s Team all day, all night — Nick spent several years in the hospitality industry, and also worked as a 911 operator. If you ever happened to hear his music or read his comics/short stories, you have his sympathy.