At the end of Sunday's "The Walking Dead," Michonne (Danai Gurira) sets off on her own journey in search of Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) after finding a clue that he's still alive.
Michonne comes across a couple who is trying to catch up with a mysterious large caravan of people traveling together. Who are they and where are they going? Those are answers showrunner Angela Kang may not even know.
"We coordinated with [chief content officer of 'TWD' universe] Scott Gimple on what he needed the end point in the episode to be in order to set up the handoff to the TWD Universe," showrunner Angela Kang told Insider via email.
"TWD" was getting ready to kick off its latest spin-off series in April. However, because of the coronavirus, the show has now been put on hold until later this year. It's expected the limited two-season series will provide more answers on the helicopter that took Rick on season nine and its mysterious community.
Gimple had previously announced a plan for a trilogy of Rick Grimes'-centric movies in November 2018 after star Andrew Lincoln left the long-running apocalypse drama. An announcement teaser trailer released at San Diego Comic Con in 2019 said the film will be released by Universal Pictures only in theaters.
Sunday's episode sets up a few other moments for the larger "TWD" universe moving forward involving Rick Grimes. Michonne finds his boots and a cell phone with a drawing of her and Judith etched into it.
"One thing that emerged early on as feeling critically important to all of us on the writing side as well as Danai was the idea of concrete evidence of Rick's presence and a direction to go in," said Kang. "The boots are an iconic part of Rick's costume, would've been on his person at the time of the bridge explosion, and would be immediately recognizable to Michonne, so that's how we came to have this first clue."
Some fans may have noticed the second clue, the phone, also included Japanese characters next to it. Kang told Insider that Gimple confirmed the translation on the phone says: "Believe a little bit longer." Coupled with the drawing of Michonne and Judith, the message cuts a bit deeper for Michonne.
"The phone is obviously a hint at some larger story that took place," Kang added, suggesting that's something that may also be explored down the line in the larger "TWD" universe.
You can follow along with our ongoing "The Walking Dead" coverage here.
- Read more:
- 21 details you may have missed on Michonne's final episode of 'The Walking Dead'
- 11 questions we have after Sunday's major reveal on 'The Walking Dead'
- Sunday's 'The Walking Dead' gives Michonne a big hint that Rick's still alive along with a heartbreaking message you may have overlooked
- 'The Walking Dead' showrunner explains how they recreated several iconic moments from the show for Michonne's final episode
- 'The Walking Dead' showrunner explains how they recreated several iconic moments from the show for Michonne's final episode
