Ever since The Walking Dead lurched onto TV screens eight years ago, Rick Grimes has been a series mainstay.
So you can imagine everyone’s distress when Sunday’s episode, aptly entitled “What Comes After,” signaled the end of Rick’s story… or did it? Rather than abruptly killing off their star player, the Powers That Be chose to ship Andrew Lincoln’s wounded survivor off to destinations unknown, where he will presumably begin a new life far, far away from the likes of Daryl, Judith and everyone he left behind.
It opens up a surprising transition period for Rick Grimes, who will, through time, headline his own trilogy of spinoff movies from AMC. That’s according to Andrew Lincoln himself, after the British thesp outlined what comes next for his Walking Dead protagonist.
Granted, there’s still much we don’t know about AMC’s overarching master plan, but at the very least, Lincoln is confident that the first Walking Dead spinoff will be with us next year.
Everybody thinks I’m a sociopath because I’m not breaking down at every interview. But the truth is that I know that there’s something happening next year.
Life without Rick Grimes will be somewhat tricky for The Walking Dead, given a series of viewers swore blind that they would stop watching AMC’s flagship once Andrew Lincoln bowed out. Whether his absence has an immediate impact on the ratings remains to be seen, but one thing’s for sure: these TV movies won’t just be longer episodes.
Via The New York Times:
It was a compromise because I didn’t want to be disingenuous to fans, but then of course, I didn’t want to give away the story. It was a concern that we start saying one thing and people are anticipating a death, and we don’t give them that. You can’t please all people all of the time. That’s why I try to stay out of reading about things like that. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to get out of bed in the morning.
The Walking Dead season 9 continues apace with the premiere of “Who Are You Now?” this Sunday. Don’t. Miss. It.
