Next month, Danai Gurira will reprise her role as Okoye in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. But aside from her looming MCU comeback, she is also gearing up to revisit her other comic book universe as well. In 2023, Gurira will reunite with Andrew Lincoln in a new Walking Dead limited series that finally brings closure to the story of Michonne and Rick Grimes. And it turns out Gurira is more involved with the creative process than we previously thought.
While speaking with SELF, Gurira revealed that she isn’t just starring in the upcoming spinoff. She also co-created the series and will write the scripts alongside Walking Dead chief content officer Scott M. Gimple. In her words, the show is an “an epic love story tale” and a “prestige” miniseries. Production is scheduled to begin in January, and according to Gimple, Gurira’s creative energy is “the best” to be around.
“She challenges me, I challenge her, and neither one of us lets the other off the hook,” said Gimple. “In life, I’m more a character actor; Danai is a lead. When we’re working, when we’re pitching, when we’re just dealing with life stuff—it’s a good combo.”
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Gurira isn’t a stranger to writing her own projects. Beyond her acting career, she also happens to be an accomplished playwright. In 2016, she received a Tony Award nomination for Best Play for writing Eclipsed, which featured her Black Panther co-star Lupita Nyong’o during its original run on Broadway. An earlier production featured another Black Panther starlet, Letitia Wright, in the same role.
Originally, Rick and Michonne’s series was being developed as a trilogy of films, with AMC eyeing a theatrical release for each installment. But during July’s San Diego Comic-Con, the network announced that the story would unfold on the small screen instead. The show will mark the first time that Lincoln and Gurira’s characters have appeared in the Walking Dead universe since their departures from the flagship show in 2018 and 2020, respectively. Lincoln and Gurira will also serve as executive producers.
AMC hasn’t announced an air date for the Rick and Michonne spinoff.
How do you feel about Gurira co-writing the series? Let us know in the comment section below!
Recommended Reading: The Walking Dead: Compendium Three
