‘Walking Dead’ Star Danai Gurira to Exit Series
“The Walking Dead” is losing another longtime cast member.
Variety has confirmed with sources that Danai Gurira, who plays Michonne, is leaving the series. Gurira has signed a new deal to appear in a handful of episodes of Season 10 of the zombie drama, which will be her last on the show.
Gurira is the latest high-profile exit for the series. In the first half of Season 9, Andrew Lincoln departed the series, though he will appear in a series of spinoff films currently in the works at AMC. Gurira will likely lock down a similar deal once her time on the flagship series has ended. Lauren Cohan, who plays Maggie, also only appeared in a few episodes of Season 9 as she signed on to star in the ABC series “Whiskey Cavalier.”
Gurira first joined the show in its third season and has become a central and fan-favorite character. Michonne also remains a major figure in the comic books that inspired the series.
AMC declined to comment.
Gurira is also a celebrated playwright in addition to her work on “The Walking Dead.” She also joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe last year, playing General Okoye in the worldwide blockbuster “Black Panther.” She reprised that role in “Avengers: Infinity War” and is expected to also appear in the upcoming “Avengers: Endgame.”
“The Walking Dead” underwent a major creative reset in Season 9. Showrunner Scott Gimple was elevated to the role of chief creative officer of “The Walking Dead” universe while longtime series writer Angela Kang was named showrunner.
The Hollywood Reporter first reported Gurira’s exit.
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