Walking Dead final season coda was filmed months after filming wrapped
By Renee Hansen
In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, The Walking Dead creators talked about filming the coda scene featuring Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) and Michonne (Dania Gurira). This scene was a welcome surprise for fans who felt the series began with Rick and should end the same.
Filming for the final episode of TWD concluded in March 2022; this was extended a bit longer than scheduled due to a severe on-set injury sustained by Norman Reedus, who played Daryl Dixon. This was an emotional day for the fandom as fans, cast, and crew mourned a series that has been part of their lives for over 12 years.
Closer to the premiere of season 11, part 3, which was set for October, showrunner Angela Kang revealed that the initial ending had been altered. This was exciting for viewers as it was believed that something better would certainly be included at the end of the last episode of the series.
The Walking Dead series finale
The coda scene would be filmed four months after the series’s announced wrap in a two-day shoot. The location: TWD’s home base of Senoia, Georgia. There was talk of filming in Savannah, Georgia, with the Fear the Walking Dead crew or even New Jersy, where The Walking Dead: Dead City recently wrapped filming. But series finale director Greg Nicotero wanted to shoot at home base.
Luckily Lincoln and Nictotero did some significant prep work for the scenes as Lincoln visited Nictoero in Los Angeles for a week ahead of filming. Showrunner Angela Kang had always intended to include Rick and Michone at the end of the series. She felt it was the only proper way to complete this part of the story.
This ending was a long time coming, and it took a lot of maneuvering to create the perfect end to the long-running series. Reedus even mentioned ideas of bringing Rick back over a year and a half ago. Lincoln and Gurira had much to do with the collaborative process of creating their scenes. Both actors wanted to be sure that nothing they did overshadowed the stories of the current cast.
Most fans seemed to appreciate all that was done for the last episode of The Walking Dead. What are your thoughts on the final scene? Let us know in the comment below.
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