A brand-new set photo for AMC’s upcoming The Walking Dead spinoff about Rick and Michonne has dropped, featuring a new look at Andrew Lincoln’s return. As production continues on the untitled as-yet-untitled project, leading star Danai Gurira took to Instagram to share a behind-the-scenes photo of Lincoln, who’s sporting a familiar Rick Grimes look as his face is covered with splashes of blood. For nine seasons of The Walking Dead, Lincoln portrayed former sheriff’s deputy Rick Grimes, who arguably served as the show’s main antagonist. In 2018, he officially exited his series regular position in order to spend more time with his family in England.
The Rick and Michonne series is created by Gurira and Scott M. Gimple, who is also serving as the showrunner. The Black Panther: Wakanda Forever actor will be the first Walking Dead cast member to be credited as a creator and writer. The horror drama spinoff will feature Lincoln and Gurira reprising their iconic roles from the original series, which ended its eleven-season run in November 2022. The project was initially set up as a Rick Grimes-led movie trilogy. However, it was eventually reworked by AMC into a six-episode limited drama.
During the series finale of The Walking Dead, both Michonne and Rick Grimes made a surprising return at the end of Episode 24 titled, officially setting up the story that will lead into their spinoff. According to the logline, the upcoming drama is described as “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?”
Besides the upcoming Rick and Michonne series, AMC is also currently developing two other spinoffs featuring fan-favorite characters from the main series. Kicking off The Walking Dead’s expanding universe in June 2023 is Dead City starring Lauren Cohan and Jeffrey Dean Morgan as they reprise their respective roles as Maggie and Negan. The unlikely duo are set to explore post-apocalyptic Manhattan in order to rescue Maggie and Glenn’s son Hershel. After Dead City, Norman Reedus will come back in late 2023 to star in his own Daryl Dixon series, which will take place in Paris, France.
In a previous interview, executive producer Scott M. Gimple confirmed that they had already started developing more The Walking Dead projects as part of their plans for the next phase of the franchise. “This year… is about focusing on these classic character shows, but also, we’re still wrapping up [spinoff series] Fear the Walking Dead,” he said. “And then, there are other projects that have been on the burner, as well. We’re getting the next phase ready.”
Also Read: The Walking Dead Daryl Dixon Spinoff Reveal First French Walkers
AMC’s upcoming The Walking Dead spinoff Daryl Dixon received a new batch of first-look photos, teasing the survivor’s unexpected adventure in France.
Posted on AMC TV’s official Twitter account, one of the photos revealed the first look at the horror drama’s French walkers who are set to give Daryl a difficult time during his European escapade. The special effects make-up for the walkers is once again being supervised by horror icon Greg Nicotero, who has also signed on to executive produce. The other two photos both feature a new look at the crossbow-wielding fan-favorite, as he seemingly encounters a not-so-welcoming group of unknown survivors.
The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon is created and executive produced by Scott M. Gimple and Angela Kang. The spinoff will feature the return of Norman Reedus as he reprises the role of Daryl Dixon for the second time after the original series concluded its eleven-season run in November 2022. The story will take place in France, where Daryl can’t seem to remember how and why he ended up on a whole new continent. The series will chronicle his journey through an unfamiliar location, as he tries to find a way back home.
Production on The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon is still currently underway in France, having started in October 2022. According to Reedus, the spinoff is expected to reset The Walking Dead franchise, giving the beloved characters and fans a fresh start. “You learn a lot of things after 12 years of doing a show, and there are certain paths that you inevitably have to go down because [there is such a big cast]. We don’t really have that over there. It’s kind of a fresh start for us, with all the things that we loved doing, and just a whole bunch more.”
The series will also introduce new characters in the form of Isabelle and Quinn, respectively portrayed by Harry Potter vet Clémence Poésy and Chernobyl actor Adam Nagaitis. Poésy’s Isabelle is described as the show’s female lead, who’s a member of a progressive religious group. Previous set photos suggest that she will become one of Daryl’s allies during his journey across France. Meanwhile, Nagaitis’ Quinn is an underground nightclub owner in Paris who has somehow taken advantage of the zombie apocalypse to transform himself into a powerful figure.
Apart from the Daryl Dixon series, AMC has also announced the upcoming debut of two other The Walking Dead spinoffs which also revolve around characters from the original series. The first one is Dead City centered around the unlikely duo of Lauren Cohan’s Maggie and Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s Negan, who are set to explore post-apocalyptic Manhattan. Meanwhile, the second show is an untitled Rick and Michonne project featuring the reunion of Andrew Lincoln and Danai Gurira’s characters, who got separated during Season 9 of The Walking Dead.