All eyes were on Hall H at San Diego Comic-Con yesterday, as The Walking Dead fans waited with bated breath to see if Andrew Lincoln would make an appearance to shed further light on Rick Grimes’ long-awaited return in what was believed to be a movie.
They got more than they bargained for when Andrew did eventually take to the stage – as he was joined by Michonne actor Danai Gurira to announce a brand new spin-off limited series coming next year.
Rick was last seen on The Walking Dead in November 2018, with Michonne’s storyline being left on a cliffhanger a couple of years later.
Now, the power duo are coming back in their own six-episode drama, which will replace the Rick Grimes film that was previously announced.
As Andrew, 48, and Danai, 44, took to the stage, the fans at Comic-Con screamed with excitement, before they spoke into the mics to greet them all at the convention, which is back in person for the first time in three years.
‘Because you are the hardest of the hardcore fans, we have something that we want to tell you first,’ Love Actually star Andrew said.
Black Panther actor Danai revealed that Andrew and executive producer Scott Gimple had been ‘cooking up’ an idea, because they owed the fans ‘the conclusion of this story, Rick and Michonne’.
Andrew continued: ‘So next year, there’s going to be six new episodes on AMC+ airing in 2023, so this time next year there’s going to be a whole lot more to talk about.’
Scott then confirmed that the upcoming series was instead of the previously-announced Rick Grimes movie.
With fans receiving six more hours of Rick and Michonne rather than just two, sounds like a pretty sweet deal to us!
In a statement, Dan McDermott, president of entertainment and AMC Studios for AMC Networks, said of the new show: ‘This is a moment fans of The Walking Dead have been waiting for since Rick disappeared in the helicopter early in season nine, and Michonne journeyed away on a quest to find him the following season.
‘What a great surprise for the fans at this final Comic-Con for the series that launched this universe and made television history.
‘We couldn’t be more excited for a truly epic series finale later this year and to see Andy and Danai return in a new series they helped create, one of three new series coming in 2023 that continue the stories of so many iconic and fan-favorite TWD characters.’
Scott added: ‘Rick and Michonne are two of my favorite people and Danai and Andy are two of my favorite people
‘Working with all of them continues to be a dream come true. The three of us, along with a terrific team of TWD all stars and incredible new voices, are crafting an insane love epic worth the long, long wait.’
The Walking Dead is set to wrap up later this year with the conclusion of season 11.
However, it won’t mark the end of the universe, as a Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) and Maggie (Lauren Cohan) spin-off is on the way, as well as a series that will continue to follow Daryl (Norman Reedus).
While the Daryl spin-off was originally supposed to also star Carol (Melissa McBride), it was recently announced that Melissa is no longer able to take part.
The Walking Dead is available to watch on Disney Plus.
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