For those of who have justifiably fallen off from the series, it may come as a surprise that yes: The Walking Dead is still very much running. Turns out there are still numerous circumstances in which zombies can become extremely problematic to a bunch of non-zombies – who’d have thought? But the show which has been historically amenable to killing main characters looks like it’s about to kill the mainest character of all: Rick Grimes, played by Andrew Lincoln.
Multiple outlets are reporting that Lincoln is set to exit the popular zombie series in the upcoming ninth season. Entertainment Weekly confirmed an initial report by Collider that Lincoln’s last run on The Walking Dead will only last six episodes.
Though we saw the death of beloved son (and original cast member) Carl – played by Chandler Riggs – in season eight, the loss of Rick Grimes will be an even bigger challenge for the show. Though they’ve done a lot of legwork to put the cast on more equal footing so the show can take the blow of losing some of the originals, it’s still a huge, huge move, and would knock the legs out of its core arc.
Lincoln seemed pretty keen on the show even recently. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, he said that the energy of the show reminded him of the first season again:
I can’t wait to see this next episode. It’s really interesting. It’s very different in a good way. In an exciting way. It’s more reminiscent of the pilot than any other season that we’ve embarked on, which makes me very happy. It’s a good time for it. It’s a really exciting time for it. I feel like season 1. It’s a big year, and I’m excited for it.
Us Weekly reports that AMC is considering making Norman Reedus‘ character Daryl Dixon the lead, with a possible $20 million paycheque on the table to make that happen. There’s no confirmation on that, but it feels like a natural way for the series to go.
Anyway, RIP Rick Grimes. Looking forward to watching you get your dick eaten by zombies, or however they decide to end you.
