Ever since an injured Rick Grimes was carried off in a Civic Republic Military helicopter as an unknowing, devastated Michonne bawled her eyes out over his suspected death, The Walking Dead fans have been itching for the apocalypse-surviving lovers to reunite. New spin-off The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live finally sees that happen – and actor Danai Gurira was just as desperate for it as longtime viewers.
As the show releases in the UK today (May 31), the Black Panther star recalls to 12DOVE how Rick and Michonne's heartstopping meet-up, which sees the latter almost kill Rick (Andrew Lincoln) after she mistakes him for just another CRM soldier, was captured early on in their shoot – and that the weather during filming perfectly suited the mood on set.
"We shot the sequences where he's dreaming about her and then we shot the reunion. It was extremely intense," Gurira says. "I was so happy for [Michonne] because, you know, she'd held out so long to try and believe so much in this, for it to happen right when she was trying to let go was just kind of poetic. It was great.
"It rained, it hailed, and it snowed in the course of our shooting," she continues. "It was insane. It was crazy, but it was kind of like, you know, that sort of pathos that comes in the moment. It was really awesome."
Set over the course of just a few days, The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live sees Rick and Michonne team-up to expose the CRM's true intentions, unpack their joint trauma regarding their years-long separation, and ultimately, reconnect. When talking about how hands-on herself and Lincoln were in the creation of the show, Gurira, who adopted writer and producer credits for the outing, explained: "It was great. I mean, at this point, having been a part of the show for so long and with the characters for so long, it [felt] very organic for myself and Andy to become a part of the creation of this show, and to be very, very, very involved in the arc of the story and the narrative.
"It felt like a very natural progression, from all we've learned and all we know and how much we've lived in these characters, to then really collaborate with [showrunner] Scott Gimple, who at this point is a dear friend, to create something as a unit, together. I think it allowed us to definitely tell the story we wanted to tell, which was very satisfying."
The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live is now streaming on Sky and NOW. For more, check out our handy guide on how to watch The Walking Dead franchise in order or our list of the most exciting new TV shows heading our way.
