With Andrew Lincoln departing AMC's The Walking Dead in the first half of season 9 (to pursue other Walking Dead projects) and Lauren Cohan currently not on the series, other characters, such as Michonne (played by Danai Gurira), have stepped up to take the reigns of leadership in their absence. Although Michonne plays a key role in life after "All Out War" in Robert Kirkman's comic book series, Gurira is reportedly going to leave The Walking Dead as well after its tenth season.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Gurira has "signed a deal" to play Michonne in "a handful of episodes" in the tenth season, which is reportedly going to be her last one on the series. At this time, AMC and Gurira have not officially made a statement on this matter.
While Michonne's absence at this point in The Walking Dead TV series would be a major departure from her character's role in the comic books, it wouldn't be the first time the TV adaptation has gone a different path from Robert Kirkman's original story, especially with Rick and Maggie currently off the series.
There are some crucial moments coming up on the TV series, and we should see the anticipated (and dreaded) fair in the back half of season 9, so readers of the comic book series know that some big changes are already coming soon.
Outside of The Walking Dead, Gurira has been staying busy on the big screen with her role as Okoye in Black Panther and Avengers: Infinity War.
Last November, AMC programming president David Madden discussed Gurira's future on the series with THR:
"We really want her to stay. She is an incredibly valuable character and I'm really hoping she stays. Obviously, the lesson of Andy is that the show can survive anybody's departure if need be but that's not our goal. The goal is to have Danai continue on whatever basis she can make work, given the other things that she has going on in her life."
We'll keep Daily Dead readers updated on Gurira's future with The Walking Dead as more details are revealed.
Raised on a steady diet of R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps books and Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Derek has been fascinated with fear since he first saw ForeverWare being used on an episode of Eerie, Indiana.
When he’s not writing about horror as the Senior News Reporter for Daily Dead, Derek can be found daydreaming about the Santa Carla Boardwalk from The Lost Boys or reading Stephen King and Brian Keene novels.
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