Rick and Michonne Walking Dead spin-off series will be 'an epic and insane love story'

At The Walking Dead's final Comic-Panel in San Diego on July 22, fans were treated to a surprise appearance and announcement by Andrew Lincoln and Danai Gurira, when the duo walked on stage to reveal they had a new Rick and Michonne spin-off series coming to AMC.

"There's going to be six episodes on AMC+ airing in 2023, so next year there's going to be a lot more to talk about," announced Lincoln to the Hall H crowd. "I personally can't wait to get my cowboys boots back on and get the band back together."

Other than EW confirming that the show would be a continuing series and not a limited one-season outing, details were scarce. But on AMC's The Walking Dead Universe Preview 2022 special on Sunday night, series creator and showrunner Scott M. Gimple dropped a few more tidbits.

Todd Williamson/AMC/Shutterstock Danai Gurira and Andrew Lincoln at Comic-Con 2022

"It's been a lot of fun to work on," Gimple told host Chris Hardwick. "I've been working on it very, very deeply with Danai and with Andy, and we continue to work on it pretty much every day together with some Walking Dead vets and some great new voices."

As for how he would describe the story? "It's an epic love story," noted Gimple. "But it's an epic and insane love story. These are two people that have been separated for a very long time. They've lived whole other existences and they have to find themselves again, let alone each other. And it's hopefully going to be mind-blowing."

Lest anyone worry that the dynamic duo have mellowed with age, Gimple made a point of teasing that we will watch the characters at their most extreme. "We see this incredible power couple, but we also see that Red Machete Rick. We see that Michonne who taught a thing or two to the Governor. It kind of goes coast to coast that way between the intimate and the epic and the insane."

While it has been a long, winding road for Rick Grimes, the road has also been long and winding to bring his story back to the screen. It was first announced back in November 2018 after Lincoln's last episode of The Walking Dead that the actor and character would be appearing in a trilogy of Rick Grimes films. "We're going to tell the story of what happens after that helicopter flight, and these are going to be big, epic entertainments," Gimple said at the time. "I am extremely hard at work on the first one right now, and most likely filming next year."

Then, at the end of the show's next Comic-Con appearance in July 2019, a quick teaser video was shown with the words "Rick Grimes returns. Only in theaters." After the clip played, panel moderator Hardwick announced that, "The Walking Dead movie is official. It will be in theaters, brought to you by Universal, AMC, and Skybound. More information to come."

That is no longer the case. Now the epic and insane story will be coming to the small screen in 2023 on AMC. It will be joined by the upcoming Daryl Dixon spin-off, which Gimple revealed will take place in France. During the special, Gimple also acknowledged that the series will build off The Walking Dead: World Beyond coda scene, which showed a French laboratory studying walkers that appeared to be stronger and faster. Maybe Norman Reedus can fight them off with a stale baguette.

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