“She was not in that first movie”: Andrew Lincoln Was Devastated ‘The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live’ Nearly Didn’t Feature a Marvel Star

The Walking Dead started with the story of Rick Grimes played by Andrew Lincoln. As the story progressed, after 8 seasons leading the show, Lincoln said goodbye and made his exit in season 9 of the post-apocalyptic horror series. But that wasn’t the end of the story for either Rick Grimes or Andrew Lincoln. The star was preparing to join the cast of The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Lived.

Initially, The Ones Who Lived was to be made as a trilogy of films starring Andrew Lincoln in the lead. And Black Panther star Danai Gurira was set to join the second movie in the trilogy, after exiting the show in season 10. But neither Lincoln nor the creators were happy to waste so much time before the character of Michonne, played by Gurira, could reunite with Grimes in the story. And thus, the idea for the trilogy was scrapped, and we got a miniseries instead.

How The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live‘s Story Changed With The Transition

Initially, the story of Rick Grimes after he exited The Walking Dead series was to be told in the format of a movie trilogy. But that would mean that his character would be too far from that of Michonne, played by Danai Gurira. Her character exits the show in season 10, in search of Grimes, further setting up the movie.

But showrunner Scott Gimple found that transitioning from a movie to a miniseries helped smooth out the story, as the series was continuing after the exit of Grimes. Speaking to TV Line, Gimple said:

“When we started [developing] the films, Danai was still on [The Walking Dead], so she was not in that first movie, and thus it was just enormously different.”

He further added:

“In the second film, because I knew [Danai] would be available by then, and I knew she was unbelievably critical. But that made for a very different movie, even though Rick’s circumstances were very much the same, and the relationship with CRM and the city was very much the same.”

Thus, logistically speaking, it worked better if the story was told in the format of a miniseries than a trilogy of movies. And of course, the character of Michonne would be available to join the story sooner that way.

Rick and Michonne’s Reunion Is The Heart of The Ones Who Lived

After Rick’s exit, it is a few years in the story before he is reunited with Michonne. He is now a part of the Civic Republic Military, and his life is vastly different and yet somehow the same as what it was in The Walking Dead series. But as the miniseries begins, Andrew Lincoln‘s character is reunited with that of Gurira’s at the end of the very first episode.

Their love story is the heart of the story, even though it is never too out there. Keeping things understated, and still managing to make it connect with the viewers, their relationship is portrayed beautifully throughout the miniseries. As Rick and Michonne reconnect after years, even though things are in chaos, and it’s in the middle of a battlefield, the pace is perfect.

This might not have been the case, had it been told in the movie format. Which would have made it necessary to bring the action to the forefront and keep the emotions on the down-low. Thankfully, the creators saw to it and changed their minds about how they wanted the story to be told, and what would be better suited in the long run, for not just the character of Rick, but also Michonne.

The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live is available for streaming on AMC+.