Danai Gurira and Andrew Lincoln “watched a lot of Bridgerton” to get ready for their characters' love story in The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Showrunner Scott M. Gimple told THR at the show's premiere, “There was some Bridgerton homework that Danai assigned.”
Gurira and Lincoln return to their roles as Michonne and Rick in what is being called as the most romantic The Walking Dead spinoff series. Both actors also serve as executive producers. Gurira and Lincoln left the show before it ended in November 2022.
The Ones Who Live will follow the couple as they try to find their way to each other with the zombie apocalypse as the backdrop.
So what does it have to do with Bridgerton exactly?
“It's not about relating to it, it's about a love story that accomplished what it was proposing. It had a very clear world, it had very clear characters, very clear pursuits, very clear storyline arc,” the actress explained.
She continued, “The satisfaction that I feel, the reason [the show] is so popular, is there's a satisfaction that the love stories cumulate and I wanted [Andrew and Scott], because of course they hadn't watched it, so I wanted them — I would just text them key scenes, I'd tape them on my phone, just for them to see what this is and you see why this works.”
“There are really scenes where even the characters aren't sure of what they're doing, or they're doing things that aren't quite what they want to be doing or they're working against their real goals or their real heart, but the love is clear and the language works with it so beautifully,” Gurira added.
Gimple stated that the latest The Walking Dead spinoff takes a look at “love being the fuel for a survival story,” and “these two characters' love, being as intense as it is, being the soulmates that they are, the crazy they both possess, it was a no-brainer,” for the series' focus.
“A love story always has an obstacle; now in our story the obstacle is massive: It's the dead, it's the situation that they find themselves in,” he continued.
“Whether it's a rom-com or Bridgerton or whatever, there is something keeping people apart. In this though, there's a world that has changed these people, and in some ways they've got to find themselves first before they find each other,” Gimple added.
While the showrunner did say that it's not a one-to-one comparison, it's fascinating to think of the Bridgerton universe as inspiration for a zombie series. It does make sense because if this spinoff aims to distinguish itself from the rest, the primal heart of it should be different. And it would definitely be different since the center of it is the love story between Michonne and Rick.
In most romance stories, Bridgerton included, the obstacles mostly lie in what is commonly called the “noble idiocy” of the characters. It could be as simple as miscommunication and pride. Hopefully Rick and Michonne will do away with those.
Unlike most love story-centric series, they're both world weary and battle hardened. Those qualities make for an edgier romance and I'm here for it.
The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live will premiere on Feb. 25 on AMC and AMC+.
Follow Us
Subscribe