SDCC 2019: Danai Gurira Confirms Her 'Walking Dead' Exit

During the panel for ‘The Walking Dead’, Danai Gurira took the opportunity to confirm that the upcoming tenth season will be her last.  Gurira joined the show in Season 3, as the katana-swinging Michonne (whose last name was recently revealed to be Hawthorne in the last issue of the comic book).  In both the comic and TV show, Michonne proved to be a breakout fan favorite.  She is expected to appear in a “handful” of episodes in Season 10.  There is buzz that she could show up in the just-announced ‘The Walking Dead’ movie, which focuses on Andrew Lincoln’s Rick Grimes.  There are expected to be three movies, so if Michonne isn’t in the first, she might show up in a later film.

At the panel, Gurira announced:

“I can confirm that this is the last season. I will be leaving.  I would just like to say that this has been one of the purest joys of my life, to play this role… I am very, very thankful for the experience I’ve had in ways I can’t even express right now.”

You can watch a video of Gurira’s announcement below:

Gurira is an accomplished playwright.  In 2016, her Broadway play ‘Eclipsed’ was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Play and won for Best Costume Design in a Play.

 

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Her film career is also taking off.  She played Tupac Shakur’s mother, Afeni Shakur, in the biopic ‘All Eyez on Me’, but more famously, she portrays the Wakandan general, Okoye in the Marvel Studios films, starting with last year’s ‘Black Panther’ and resurfacing in ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ and ‘Avengers: Endgame’.

The status of ‘The Walking Dead’ movies is a mystery, as it wasn’t revealed until Friday that the first would be going to theaters instead of TV.  The movie focuses on Rick Grimes, and it is known that Pollyanna McIntosh will appear as Anne/Jadis.  Michonne may appear, but that’s unconfirmed.  There is even talk that she could star in her own movies.

‘The Walking Dead’ Season 10 kicks off on October 6 on AMC.