The Walking Dead stars Andrew Lincoln and Danai Gurira tease The Ones Who Live

The wait is almost over, The Walking Dead fans! After years of waiting, the triumphant return of beloved heroes Rick Grimes and Michonne arrives later this month. The six-episode series, titled The Ones Who Live, is being dubbed an "epic love story" that's "a bit more operatic" than the main series.

We last saw Rick Grimes in season 9 episode "What Comes After," where he was being carried away, barely alive, in a Civic Republic helicopter with Jadis (Pollyanna McIntosh). As for Michonne, she departed the series a season later after coming across potential clues that Rick is still alive and out there in the world somewhere.

Now years have passed and they find themselves on opposite ends of the battlefield. Rick is a member of the Civic Republic Military, while Michonne is still out hunting for him.

In preparation for taking on the show, both Andrew Lincoln and Danai Gurira did some homework by binging the ultimate love story of recent times...Netflix's Bridgerton. "We watched a lot ofBridgerton," Lincoln told PEOPLE. "This has been a long time coming, this story, and I love this character and this is a love story. This is essentially the DNA of the original episode was a man in search of his family."

Both Lincoln and Gurira are credited as executive producers on the show, as well playing the central protagonists. Lincoln praised Gurira for taking on the expanded role and adding plenty of heart into the story. "And Danai, I have to give credit was beating the drum for the love story," he explained. "Everything we could squeeze out of every scene, she said, 'It's time, this is it.'"

When Gurira herself was asked what fans can expect from the series, she played relatively coy. "I think, you know, she definitely is going through quite a journey in this series," she said.

""There are a lot of things that happen that she does not expect. There are ways that she has to pivot and adjust that she does not expect. There is, you know, the journey to find her man... it's not an easy one, it comes in ways she could never have imagined.""

Could The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live return for a second season? "Anything is possible."

Whether the six-episodes manage to fully wrap up Rick and Michonne's story remains to be seen. That said, franchise boss Scott Gimple is open to continuing the story, no matter what happens. "Anything is possible — even if Rick dies in the last episode, anything is possible," he told Deadline. “We’re focused on this one right now. But this one came together in a really amazing way, where there were all sorts of plans. And then the world changed and we altered those plans.”

Let's not get too far ahead of ourselves. We haven't even seen season one yet. The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live premieres February 25 on AMC.

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