Andrew Lincoln To Leave The Walking Dead After Season 9

When it comes to The Walking Dead, no one is safe. And we really mean no one.

Ever since Robert Kirkman’s magnum opus shuffled onto the small screen eight years ago, the creative genius has long maintained that any one character can be killed off at any time. There are exceptions to the rule, of course; someone like Daryl Dixon naturally has a better life expectancy than most, if not all of the show’s ensemble cast.

But now that Carl is ostensibly out of the picture, what does the future hold for Rick Grimes? A swift exit, it seems, as Collider is reporting today that Andrew Lincoln will be leaving The Walking Dead after season 9. Details surrounding his departure are unclear at this stage, but apparently, Rick will only appear in a half-a-dozen episodes of the new run before waving farewell.

In order to ease the blow a bit, AMC has apparently offered Norman Reedus, who plays Daryl, a substantial pay raise to remain on board and take over as the show’s lead – which we imagine he will. And that’s a good thing, too, as with Lauren Cohan said to only be appearing in a limited capacity in season 9, and now Lincoln on his way out, The Walking Dead is starting to lose a lot of its best characters, and fast.

Unfortunately, Collider’s report didn’t give us much else to go on, but we imagine we’ll be hearing more soon and will hopefully get something in the way of an official announcement from AMC. After all, production on the ninth season of The Walking Dead is currently underway – with set pics to prove it! – and it’s expected to air sometime in October.

That’s still a long ways away, but if it’s more undead action you’re after, Fear The Walking Dead season 4 is still airing, and will be until the finale hits on June 10th.