Oh, do you hear that? Way off in the distance? It’s coming closer, and closer - it’s the sound of yet another spinoff in The Walking Dead universe, called The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live.
The Walking Dead and its very emotional finale aired in 2022, and then after that, spinoffs kept releasing, from The Walking Dead: Dead City to The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon. However, this one is a spinoff I think all of us were hoping beyond hope would come, and that is The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live, featuring the characters of Rick and Michonne. The new title was announced in July 2023, according to Deadline.
For those who are excited for the return of the legendary Rick and Michonne, here are some things we know about the upcoming series, and what you should know.
What Is The Rick And Michonne Spinoff’s Series Premiere Date?
Get ready, because The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live is going to premiere on February 25th, 2024, on both AMC and AMC+, according to Variety in November 2023. This makes it a part of our 2024 TV premiere schedule.
Check Out The Trailer For The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live
If you’re as excited about The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live, be sure to check out the trailer above, featuring our two main characters, Rick and Michonne. The trailer also features a sneak peek at some of the new places we are going to explore, and the kind of action that we’ll view. Get ready, friends.
Andrew Lincoln, Danai Gurira And More Are Confirmed For The Show
For some time, it was only confirmed that Andrew Lincoln and Danai Gurira were to return for the show. According to the Deadline in July 2022, that’s when the announcement was made back at 2022’s San Diego Comic-Con.
Both of the actors were excited to return, and Gurira even posted a picture of her and Lincoln at Comic-Con on Instagram with the simple caption, “We’re back.”
The two actors have been working on other projects since their departure from The Walking Dead. Andrew Lincoln was part of the extensive cast of Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities in 2022. Danai Gurira was one of the stars of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever for the MCU. But it’s awesome to see them come back together again for a show.
Reported by Deadline in March 2023, it was confirmed that Lesley-Ann Brandt had signed onto The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live. She will be playing Pearl Thorne, but only that is known about her character.
In November 2023, Deadline reported that Pollyanna McIntosh would be back as Jadis for the show, reprising her role from The Walking Dead. Additionally, Terry O’Quinn will play Beale, and Matt Jeffries will play Matt.
While these character announcements are great, I hope that some characters from the original The Walking Dead end up appearing in this spinoff as well. A character I’ve been thinking should really reunite with Rick (besides Michonne) is Judith, Rick’s (basically adopted) daughter, as well as R.J., the son that Michonne and Rick share, both of which are residing at Alexandria at the end of The Walking Dead. With this new series, I can only wonder if Rick might get the chance to see his children again.
However, with Michonne going off on her own in Season 10, I don’t know when these children might get to see their father again - if ever. Only time will tell.
The Series Will Be An “Epic Love Story”
In a press release that AMC released, the new spinoff is going to star the two characters in an “epic love story” that shows just how much they have changed in their time apart.
AMC gave us an official synopsis from a blog post they put up on their website:
The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live presents an epic love story of two characters changed by a changed world. Kept apart by distance. By an unstoppable power. By the ghosts of who they were. Rick and Michonne are thrown into another world, built on a war against the dead… And ultimately, a war against the living. Can they find each other and who they were in a place and situation unlike any they’ve ever known before? Are they enemies? Lovers? Victims? Victors? Without each other, are they even alive — or will they find that they, too, are the Walking Dead?
This already sounds like the epic love story we were promised. I think it’s time to get ready for this show.
The Series Will Consist Of Six Episodes
I’m having flashbacks to Season 1 of The Walking Dead with this show. Confirmed by Deadline article regarding the announcement of the show, this new spinoff isn’t set to have a sixteen-episode order like many of the seasons of The Walking Dead, but only six - much like the first season of the original.
Scott M. Gimple Will Serve As Showrunner For The Series
For those who don’t know, Scott M. Gimple is The Walking Dead royalty, and has been with the show for several years - including working as showrunner for the series during Seasons 4-8, until Angela Kang, another producer for the show, took over the role for the rest of the series until its end.
However, Gimple is returning to his showrunning responsibilities with The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live, according to the Deadline article regarding the announcement of the show in July 2022. This isn’t that much of a surprise, as Gimple is the Chief Content Officer for The Walking Dead franchise.
Danai Gurira Is A Co-Creator Of The Series – And Helped Write It
When it comes to The Walking Dead, Gurira has been on the show since the very end of Season 2, and quickly established her character, Michonne, as a fan favorite. Now, she’s going to be bringing her creative hand to the table. According to an interview that Gurira did with Self in October 2022, she is actually a co-creator of the Rick and Michonne spinoff, and is also writing it alongside Scott Gimple.
Gimple spoke about how much working with Danai has influenced his writing in an email sent to Self, and how she wants to do something that’s new, and that he loves that kind of energy to be around.
She challenges me, I challenge her, and neither one of us lets the other off the hook. 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….[Danai] wants to do new, signature work—stuff that isn’t out there currently. She doesn’t want to settle in any way. It’s the best creative energy to be around.
I’m super excited to see what she brings to the show, and can’t wait to see what story they have for us to enjoy.
Filming Finished In May 2023
Confirmed by The Walking Dead's Instagram page in February 2023, it was confirmed that The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live had begun filming:
And then, not that long later, it was confirmed in May 2023 that filming had come to an end. In a post on X (formerly Twitter) from @TWDUPromos, they posted a message from Scott M. Gimple, Andrew Lincoln and the whole production team about the conclusion of filming The Walking Dead: Summit, which was the previous name used. The message thanked everyone who worked on the show:
A message from Scott, Andy, Danai, Denise, and Brian to #TWDSummit crew after their wrap on the series. Best crew in the world! pic.twitter.com/NnyOoHw8u5May 29, 2023
The Series Is Replacing The Much Talked-About Rick Movies
I feel like we talked about those Rick movies for ages. When Andrew Lincoln first left the show, it was announced that there would be a trilogy of Walking Dead movies that would focus on the character’s survival after his supposed death - and rescue by Jadis that saw him taken away in a mysterious helicopter.
However, after delays and, of course, the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s been decided that The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live is going to replace the Rick Grimes movies, according to the same Deadline article regarding the announcement of the show in July 2022.
For those who have followed this show for years like I have, it’s not shocking to see this happening, as we didn't have any recent updates for those movies, and now we’ve found out the reason why - because we’re going to be getting a whole new series out of it. And I, for one, am so excited.
It’ll be exciting to see the continuation of Rick and Michonne’s story in The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live after watching The Walking Dead for God knows how many years- but, if I don’t see Rick get his classic pistol back, I won't be ok.
