** Updated with official press release**  **SPOILER ALERT** On tonight's episode of Talking Dead, Robert Kirkman made a major casting announcement for The Walking Dead Season 3.

 

***SEASON 2 FINALE SPOILER ALERT***

We're posting one more notice here just in case. Don't continue if you haven't seen The Walking Dead Season 2 finale.

The season 2 finale had the surprise reveal of comic book character Michonne. While her face was covered by a hood and barely visible, Robert Kirkman announced that Treme's Danai Gurira (pictured below) had been cast in the role. Considering that spoilers regarding Shane's death leaked so early, we're surprised that her casting and appearance were able to be kept a secret.

Robert Kirkman recently spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about the apperenace of Michonne on the show and how he expects non-comic book fans to react to her introduction:

"Fans of the comic book know all about her and I'm sure are very excited to see her. ... I like to think about how the audience that just watches the show takes that. I think that that is such a bizarre and jarring image. It really speaks volumes as to what you're going to be seeing in Season 3."

Here is the official press release from AMC:

"New York, NY – March 18, 2011 – AMC has cast actress Danai Gurira (Treme/The Visitor) in the coveted role of Michonne in its original series, “The Walking Dead.” Tonight’s season two finale first featured the iconic character who will reappear in season three of the AMC series. Michonne, a fan favorite from Robert Kirkman’s comic book series, is a mysterious woman armed with a sword.

“The Walking Dead” tells the story of the months and years after a zombie apocalypse, following a group of survivors who travel in search of a safe and secure home. The series goes on to explore the challenges of life in a world overrun by walkers, where the interpersonal conflicts often present a greater danger than anything else and over time, the characters grow willing to do almost anything to survive.

“The Walking Dead” received rave reviews from countless critics, both domestically and internationally. “Above all else, “The Walking Dead” hasn't lost the most important ingredient in its strangely successful recipe: it’s thrilling” (The Hollywood Reporter). “…with Dead’s riveting cast of characters, the personal dynamics are almost as potent as the gory thrills” (US Weekly). “The Walking Dead is a feast. Dig in.”(The Guardian- UK). “It doesn’t even take three minutes to realize that this series is setting standards” (Der Tagesspiegel-Germany).

“The Walking Dead” secured a 2010 Golden Globe nomination for best television series and won the 2011 Emmy award for outstanding prosthetic make-up. It is executive produced by Glen Mazzara, Gale Anne Hurd, Robert Kirkman and Dave Alpert."