After losing his on-screen son, wife and many close friends during his time in the zombie apocalypse, Andrew Lincoln, who plays the legendary, Rick Grimes will officially be leaving The Walking Dead after season 9.
Multiple sources have confirmed the news to Us Weekly. The zombie slaying hero is reportedly set to only appear in six episodes of the upcoming ninth season. A typical season of The Walking Dead normally has 16 episodes.
A source has also exclusively told Us that longtime sidekick, Daryl Dixon played by Norman Reedus, negotiated a $20 million paycheck to stay on the show. There’s also speculation that Dixon will take the lead role once Rick is gone. Daryl has always been close to the sidelines so this would be a refreshing twist.
Lincoln May Not be the Only Main Character Leaving the Show
There are also reports that Lauren Cohen who plays longtime fan-favorite female Maggie Rhee will also only be in six episodes of the upcoming season. Cohen is booked as the lead in ABC’s action-drama Whiskey Cavalier, along with Scott Foley.
The actress who plays a recent widow confirmed that she going to be back on the AMC apocalypse drama in April and said, “I’m going back. There’s a lot more of Maggie’s story to tell…you know, we’re not allowed to tell you anything, but it’s good.”
Lincoln’s on-screen son, Carl Grimes played by Chandler Riggs was shockingly killed off in season 8, proving once again that no characters are safe, even if they’re still alive in the comics. It seems as if “The Walking Dead” is finally going to go through some major reconstruction.
How Season 8 Left Off (Season 8 Spoilers Ahead!)
The all-out-war is officially over, Rick and Michonne captured Negan, whose still alive after Grimes shockingly sliced his throat. Maggie, Jesus and Daryl seem to be plotting a way to get rid of Rick and Michonne for keeping Negan alive after he killed Glenn in the Season 7 premiere. Finally, Morgan has officially left “The Walking Dead” and is crossing over to its spinoff “Fear the Walking Dead.”
Now we can only wonder what happens next. In the comics after Negan was captured, he was put in a make-shift jail cell and Carl would visit him every day. This is until Negan eventually escapes his cell and never returns. We highly doubt that this theory will play through because Carl was killed off, and Negan doesn’t seem like he’ll get past Rick’s crew anytime soon.
Here’s What Should Happen
Let’s face it, “The Walking Dead” is no longer what it used to be, and truth be told, it’s kind of been played out since Season 4. But, what can really save this show and restart the excitement? Merging it with its own spinoff, “Fear The Walking Dead,” which has been doing very well.
“Fear the Walking Dead” does the exact opposite of what “The Walking Dead” does. Meaning, it doesn’t play out it’s villains for over three seasons. Granted, the first season of the show was a little slow, but it had a lot of events to set up. Now, the show is on its fourth season and is doing better than ever, especially now that Morgan has joined the group. Now that the timelines have officially caught up to each other, it seems like producers could be setting up at least a potential crossover soon.
How Andrew Lincoln Wants Rick to Die
During a “Walking Dead” panel at Paleyfest in March 2017, Lincoln vividly described how he wants to see Rick Grimes go. In the video below, the actor sets up Ricks final scene, along with making a few jokes about the way he says Carl on the show (he pronounces the name as “Cooral!”). Granted, Lincoln thought this all out before Carl died on the show, but it still sounds like a great way for Rick to go if you ask us!
[vimeo 210521991 w=640 h=359]
What do you think will happen once Rick and Maggie are gone?
Featured Image via Flickr/Max Chao
