For some time now, many fans of
AMC's
The Walking Dead the world over have been "shipping" characters
Rick Grimes and
Michonne [last name unrevealed] - that is, voicing their desire to see the two become a couple. This prompted
The Hollywood Reporter to bring this up with showrunner
Scott M. Gimple, and
TWD stars
Andrew Lincoln [Rick Grimes] &
Danai Gurira [Michonne] in a recent interview. You can see what the three had to say about the matter below:
Scott M. Gimple:
"They have a very intimate relationship, that’s the funny thing. People are like, 'Oh my God, what if they were together?' They’re really, really intimate. They have done things for each other that’s familial or deep, deep, deep friendship. But the way that they speak to each other — for example in [the season five finale] — represents how far these people have come with each other. The fact that they reached that bedroom in Alexandria when they had that conversation where Rick admitted that he had a gun and was going to give it to her. I think they have an incredibly intimate relationship right now. Where that goes, who knows? I think there’s something to be said about those two characters' journeys right now."
Andrew Lincoln:
"There’s a kind of jokiness to them. They’re both warriors, but she's one of the few people who can take the piss out of Rick, which is great. She has the arched eyebrow kind of smart-ass remark [persona], and I love playing those scenes. But also she has a great point of contact. There aren’t that many people in the apocalypse, but when everybody is dead and it’s just me and her left, let’s get it on!"
Danai Gurira:
"I always say to Gimple that she's the nun and she don’t get none! But it’s cool, it shows that there’s a palpable true friendship there [for Michonne and Rick] that people can pick up on. But there’s a friendship there that I treasure with Michonne’s connection with Rick. He’s the one who really challenges her to step out of who she was and who she was becoming. After that fight with the Governor (David Morrissey), she was becoming something quite ugly. … She had to go through that because of Rick, so that caused her to have a respect for him, and eventually he gained a trust and respect for her. There’s definitely an intimacy of friendship there".
So, while there is still no definitive answer as to whether or not fans can expect to see Rick and Michonne, or Richonne, as fans have taken to calling the "ship", become an item in the future, there definitely IS talk of how close the two are, and what that could potentially mean in the future.
What do you guys think? Do you hope Rick and Michonne to become something more than friends, or would you prefer Rick get romantically involved with someone else (or no one at all)? Make sure to sound off in the comments below, and be sure to share and hit that thumbs up!
You can catch the sixth season of The Walking Dead on October 11, on AMC. You can also catch the show's latest season on Netflix as of September 27.