The Walking Dead’s Andrew Lincoln Has Grown Out His Rick Grimes Beard Again

The Walking Dead star Andrew Lincoln looks to be getting in the zone to play Rick Grimes once again. Fans have been waiting to see the British actor return to the franchise ever since he left the parent series two years ago, though due to the pandemic and other setbacks, work on the first outing of a planned movie trilogy has yet to begin. But a recent snap of Lincoln suggests he might be returning to the role pretty soon, as he’s sporting a very Rick-like beard these days.

A fan account recently reposted a photo on Twitter which sees Lincoln and fellow Love Actually star Bill Nighy posing with some fans while out in Mayfair, London. As someone pointed out in the replies to the post, the actor’s thick silver facial hair definitely brings to mind Rick’s typical look.

Lincoln’s current project is starring as Ebenezer Scrooge in The Old Vic Theatre’s production of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. The play will be running through December and will be livestreamed online. A recent promo photo for the stage show, depicting Lincoln in Scrooge’s Victorian top hat and coat, gave us a glimpse of his beard, though it wasn’t so luxurious at the time. It could just be something he’s decided to do for his take on the iconic character, but seeing as Scrooge isn’t usually associated with having a beard, it’s not far-fetched to suggest that he could be preparing for TWD at the same time as working on this production.

We know that the movies will explore what happened to Rick after he was helicoptered away by Anne in season 9 and thanks to The Walking Dead: World Beyond, we’ve got a few more answers about the mysteries of the Civic Republic Military – the organization behind Rick’s disappearance – including that they’re working on developing a zombie cure. We’ll have to wait for the first film itself for the full reveal, though. At this rate, it’ll probably finally arrive in theaters sometime in 2022.