The Sunday News
Bruce Ndlovu
AS she progresses in her career and becomes a fully fledged movie star, Zimbabwean actress Danai Gurira’s days as a zombie slaying warrior on one of the most watched TV shows, The Walking Dead, may be numbered, as there’s speculation that her character might be killed off in the not too distant future.
The popular TV show returns for its ninth season this week and if Hollywood speculation is anything to go by, this might be the last season that fans see Gurira as the sword wielding Michonne on the post apocalyptic series.
Despite a distinguished small screen career, Gurira has begun to make inroads as a legitimate movie star, with her roles in Marvel’s Black Panther and Avengers: Infinity War, guaranteeing her a spot as one of Hollywood’s elite.
Blockbuster roles in an upcoming Star Trek movie and another in King Kong mean that Gurira is now one of Hollywood’s hottest properties, making it highly unlikely that she will continue her role in the television series because of her bigger profile and increased workload.
Gurira’s departure is expected to be one of many changes in The Walking Dead in the new season.
“Original cast member Lincoln will leave this season, and most likely in the first half. Lauren Cohan who plays Maggie Greene will also leave at some point later this season. Danai Gurira who plays Michonne and joined in the third season is now a film star (Black Panther, and the next Star Trek sequel) so her days are likely numbered.
“That leaves Melissa McBride, who plays Carol, and Norman Reedus (Daryl) as the remaining originals,” American publication Newsday reported last week.
Despite rumours of an impending departure from the series, Gurira has spoken fondly about the upcoming season of the zombie series.
“There is a lot of movement in this because truth is kind of impossible in the sense of the world we are now in.
Things can go in any way, so it feels very hopeful and volatile at the same time, so there is a healing energy to this season and to this sort of interaction that we have — not only with the world we’re in, but how we’re adapting to it, and also with the people we’ve known and gone through everything with. Who do we become? And the terrain shifts and as our struggles shift.
There’s a very interesting hopeful yet volatile energy to the season. It’s really fulfilling,” she told Entertainment Weekly.
