The Walking Dead: World Beyond Will Directly Set Up Rick Grimes Movies

The Walking Dead: World Beyond is currently airing its debut season on AMC, and it’s already proven itself to be a key part of the unfolding TWD franchise. The spinoff, which is destined to only last for two seasons, gets to grips with the mysterious CRM (Civic Republic Military) more than ever, which gives us some clues as to what happened to Andrew Lincoln’s Rick Grimes when he was pinched by the organization back in TWD season 9. And by the time it’s done, the show will apparently tell us everything.

Actress Anett Mahendru, who plays Jennifer Mallick AKA Huck on World Beyond, recently spoke to ComicBook.com following the latest Huck-centric episode of the series. In the interview, she spilled the beans and said that the spinoff is due to directly set up in the incoming Rick Grimes movies, which will explore what happened to the Brave Man after he was taken away in a helicopter by Jadis.

“We’re the lead-up to the movies, so we’re going there,” Mehendru teased. “All the questions fans have had for, I don’t know, inherently a decade, right? Our show is the answers to that. So we are very much heading to CRM. I mean, that’s the helicopter… We’re getting really close, you know?”

Recently, it was rumored that Lincoln would show up in World Beyond‘s first season finale, but AMC has since claimed that this is “not accurate.” If a cameo isn’t happening this year, though, then it sounds like it’s definitely a possibility in season 2. With its finite lifespan, WB has clearly been designed to fill a gap in the wider tapestry of the franchise, acting as a kind of prelude to the Rick films, so it would make sense if he made an appearance somewhere.

The first of potentially several TWD movies has yet to get off the ground, for various reasons, but it’s still coming, with production due to start next year. Lincoln’s currently starring as Ebenezer Scrooge in a stage play of A Christmas Carol in London’s West End, but he’s sporting a very Rick-like beard for the part, so fans think he’s preparing to return to TWD. 

In the meantime, The Walking Dead: World Beyond airs new episodes Sunday on AMC.