Summary
- Danai Gurira discusses a potential Broadway musical for The Walking Dead , suggesting it could expand the franchise.
- The idea is still in early stages and isn't being discussed seriously, but Gurira's familiarity with both the franchise and theater could make her a perfect candidate to adapt it.
- The Walking Dead has explored various formats, so a musical wouldn't be surprising; it could offer a fresh approach to the apocalyptic world.
Danai Gurira has opened up about a potential adaptation of The Walking Dead as a Broadway musical, explaining her hopes for the rather different medium she thinks the franchise could expand into. Gurira recently reprised her role as Michonne in the zombie universe, giving her a definitive ending in The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live. The spinoff saw her rescue Rick from the clutches of the CRM, reuniting with Judith and RJ after many years of their family being separated. This final note seemingly ends Michonne's story in the franchise.
However, speaking with SFX Magazine (via GamesRadar), Gurira expressed interest in creating a version of The Walking Dead as a Broadway musical. The actor explained that she's been in discussions with chief creative officer Scott Gimple about a potential musical, and while it's not entirely serious, she thinks there's real potential for the zombie universe to expand in that direction. Check out what Gurira had to say below:
I was just joking around about having a Walking Dead musical on Broadway. Me and [Scott] Gimple are actually chatting about it, which is ridiculous.
He's just said we don't have the rights to it. I'm like, 'Well, let's talk to [Robert] Kirkman, see what he says to that.' I mean, we're really largely just joking around. But stranger things have been done, and I do love the theatre… It's about, how do you confine it to something? Because it's just so much story. So it would really be, how do you confine it to a good two-or-three-hour play?
Would The Walking Dead Actually Work As A Broadway Musical?
There's Potential For The New Format
While AMC has released multiple shows in the franchise since 2023, the network is no stranger to producing content that's outside the core series. Some of its older Walking Dead spinoffs have included webisodes like Red Machete and The Althea Tapes, adding more context to the universe with bite-sized adventures. Because of how different these are to the core series, the production of a Broadway musical set in the same universe wouldn't be the most surprising development for the franchise.
The use of live performances to add context to a franchise has been done before, with the most recent example being Stranger Things: The First Shadow, a prequel about older characters when they were in high school. Gimple has also expressed interest in expanding the zombie franchise in unique ways, including the anthology series Tales of the Walking Dead and potential for other unique approaches in the future. Although it would be beyond the realm of TV, a Broadway musical could liven up the franchise with a new approach, making the most of its apocalyptic world.
Gurira may even be the perfect candidate to write such a project, having penned the award-winning Broadway drama Eclipsed. She's already shown off her skills in the franchise as well, writing The Ones Who Live episode 4, titled "What We." Because of her familiarity with both the franchise and the stage, she would be the perfect person to turn The Walking Dead into a Broadway show. If it really happened, then it could be a good direction for the series, adding to its increased expansion over the last year or so.
