THE WALKING DEAD: Andrew Lincoln Confirms That Rick Grimes Will Never Return To The TV Series

Many fans believe that Andrew Lincoln could return to The Walking Dead after the Rick Grimes trilogy of TV movies air but the actor has now made it clear that he has no plans to return to the show...

By JoshWilding - Nov 09, 2018 02:11 AM EST

Filed Under: The Walking Dead

While Rick Grimes ended up surviving the events of The Walking Dead this past Sunday, Andrew Lincoln has now made it clear that he has no plans to return to the show. This is somewhat surprising because with a trilogy of movies revolving around the character in the works, many fans assumed that he'll ultimately be reunited with his family.

There's nothing to say that won't happen, of course, but with rumours swirling that characters like Daryl and Michonne could appear in one of the Rick Grimes movies, it seems that will end up taking place there rather than in the long-running AMC series itself.

"I can categorically say that I will not be returning to the TV show," Lincoln stated, making it clear that we can forget about seeing him become part of the drama again. With no end in sight for The Walking Dead, it's not like even having Rick appear in the final episode would work and with the show taking so many depatures from the comics, we can't even look to those for clues.

What do you think should come next for Rick after his final appearance in The Walking Dead?

Click on the "View List" button below for a breakdown of everything
that's been revealed about The Walking Dead movie plans!

The Movies Won't Be Released In Theaters

Since the announcement that Andrew Lincoln will be reprising the role of Rick Grimes in a trilogy of movies, fans have been wondering whether they will be released in theaters or aired on television. Given the way ratings have plummeted for the series, an argument could be made that the moment for a big screen spinoff of The Walking Dead has passed.

Well, AMC Studios seemingly agrees because it's now been confirmed that the three big budget, feature-length movies will actually air on television. In other words, they're going to be TV movies!

They're Not Traditional TV Movies, Though

Before you write these off as not being worth watching, it sounds like the Rick Grimes trilogy will actually be a much larger event than the TV movies which aired for shows like 24 and Prison Break.

According to AMC programming president David Madden, these movies won't be like an extended episode and will instead be more along the lines of a "large, big scope movie that will feel like a major motion picture," with a runtime anticipated to come in at around two hours. As we mentioned above, the budget will also be akin to a movie you'd see in theaters.

Michonne And Daryl Could Be Next For The Movie Treatment

Apparently, both Michonne (Danai Gurira) and Daryl (Norman Reedus) could end up either appearing in these movies or elsewhere. The latter is expected to become the new face of the franchise on the small screen following Andrew Lincoln's departure so that really isn't too surprising but it sounds like the focus of the first movie will remain firmly on Rick Grimes.

Writer Scott Gimple (who will also be responsible for launching a "shared universe" for The Walking Dead) says that it will take place from Rick's point of view while exploring the "vast mythology" behind the community that helicopter belongs to. It's said the group is looking for "A or B" type people so they clearly have something in mind for the former Alexandria leader.

These Movies Are Just The Beginning

Three movies may have been announced but there could be even more to Rick's story than that. Gimple says that there's "flexibility" in that number and it won't just be this character who receives the spotlight.

"Over the next several years, we're going to be doing specials, new series are quite a possibility, high-quality digital content and then some content that defies description at the moment," he explains. "We're going to dig into the past and see old characters. We're going to introduce new characters and new situations." An origin story for Negan would be cool to see, right?

...And They've Been Planned For Years

Believe it or not, Lincoln and Gimple first started discussing these movies as far back as season four of The Walking Dead. Shortly after, it was decided that Rick would be killed off during season eight but as soon as it became clear that his story could continue in these small screen movies, he stuck around a little longer. This is presumably why the helicopter was introduced too.

Why Andrew Lincoln Said Yes To The Movies

We've heard a lot about Lincoln leaving The Walking Dead so he can spend more time with his family so what's the deal with him now agreeing to star in a trilogy of movies? Well, while details are still being finalised, it's said that production on each movie will only last two months which is a huge contrast to the nine months he spent a year shooting the show in Atlanta.

"Rick Grimes is an amazing character and Andy has done an amazing performance. There were story ideas brewing that, as the years went on, seemed very compatible with continuing to tell the Rick story in another format that would allow him time with his family," Gimple says, confirming that, yes, Rick obviously survives his injuries.

The Walking Dead Is Going Global

Up until now, the action in The Walking Dead has mostly been confined to Atlanta and the surrounding areas but it seems as if we'll finally get to see how the zombie apocalypse is affecting other areas of the world in this movie and beyond.

Gimple's vision includes potentially heading overseas in order to delve into that, while he also confirms that he currently developing a project featuring a character from the past, delving into their origin stories. I mentioned Negan above but there are any number of characters who would be well-suited to a story like that.

What The Rick Grimes Movies Will Explore

Gimple was happy to shed some light on plans for this trilogy and he confirms that the movies are going to delve into the time between the moment he's put on that helicopter to the jump forward in time where we were introduced to a much older Judith. In fact, they may even stretch beyond that period and each movie will tell a complete story about the character.

"It is about who he is and who he's going to be — and certainly how he deals with the situation he's in," Gimple says. "We know Rick Grimes, he would want to be home." Does that mean he'll eventually return to the main series? That's certainly something we could see happen in the series finale!

Don't Expect Oversaturation

So, it sounds like we're getting way too much of The Walking Dead, right? Well, don't panic: Gimple promises that the market won't be flooded with too many offerings as he's taken note of what's happened to Disney with the Star Wars franchise following the release of Solo: A Star Wars Story.

"Oversaturation is a word I've been thinking about. We're not putting all this stuff out at once but have a very long view of everything. And we're not going to show them all at the same time," he promises.

The Movies Aren't Backdoor Pilots

These movies are also going to be standalone in nature and not an excuse to launch more spinoffs. "We are going to be introducing a new corner of the world in The Walking Dead and it has its own history, its own rules and its own situations going on," Gimple says. "And those absolutely will feed other stories in the universe in an ancillary way."

"There are aspects of the movie that could result in other content but not utterly directly; we're not looking at it like it's a backdoor pilot; these are going to feel more like features." So, while AMC is taking a Marvel-like "It's All Connected" approach to these stories, it definitely sounds like the network knows exactly what it's doing here.

THE WALKING DEAD: THE ONES WHO LIVE Star Andrew Lincoln Breaks Down That Comic-Accurate Moment - SPOILERS

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THE WALKING DEAD: THE ONES WHO LIVE Season Premiere Recap: How Does Rick Grimes Return After Season 9 "Death"?

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26 Comments

MarvelousMarty - 11/9/2018, 2:53 AM

I doubt the three films will happen. One maybe but if that is not a success that will be it.

patmanqc - 11/9/2018, 4:34 AM

Two words zombie fatigue

Davidthegreat22 - 11/10/2018, 1:57 AM

@patmanqc - nah the writing and the Negan storyline took longer than expected.

Deafnick - 11/9/2018, 4:54 AM

Nah man glen made me watch the finale and the opening to see who got Lucille, they went with the Marvel Villain approach...I stopped watching after the Gov storyline..I stopped watching After Hershel got killed off. TWD villains are supposed to be ruthless yet they don't what they're doing with Negan...Kinda lost the plot.I got bored in S5 and beginning S6 it just couldn't keep me on...I didn't even tune in to see Ricks departure tbh I was bored with the whole TWD. They need to up the scales and drop the soap opera part of the storyline and get straight to brass tacts. Also I'm never a fan of introducing New characters then suddenly I gotta watch a [frick]ing filler episode of this said characters backstory that isn't even important and most likely to die in the next episode but didn't and wasted our viewing on this boring ass character no-one really gives a shit about...this has been a gripe with me the same as GoT. I liked the whole being 'in the city' episodes TWD did in a few scene albeit the building CGI was fake...but that got me excited that they managed to get out of someones backyard greenery for a time being. Its a shame how they're going down the pan.

Tensorpants - 11/9/2018, 5:11 AM

...until he does

Himura - 11/9/2018, 5:24 AM

2 hour long movies with 90 minutes of commercials...

Btw if these movies can recapture the horror aspect of the first episode they're gonna be great.

TheUnworthyThor - 11/9/2018, 5:25 AM

Kman - 11/9/2018, 5:58 AM

and yet nobody cared.... just end this thing now

Reeds2Much - 11/9/2018, 6:09 AM

Andrew Lincoln Confirms That Rick Grimes Will Never Return To The TV Series

Andrew Lincoln confirms that he probably won't return to the TV series.

bobevanz - 11/9/2018, 6:48 AM

You killed Carl, bad Gimple! He was supposed to lead.. not Judith ffs. That was the day I turned in my badge lol

THEDARKKNIGHT1939 - 11/9/2018, 10:41 AM

rabid - 11/10/2018, 9:14 AM

I feel like this is just fallout from the lawsuit somehow. Maybe Hurd and Mazzara are making the movies to quell their lawsuit. I'm sure Lincoln felt a bit betrayed when they were fired.
And we're calling them movies, but it seems clear now that they'll probably just be two hour episodes. So basically Rick will get a 6 episode season of his own?

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THE WALKING DEAD: Andrew Lincoln Confirms That Rick Grimes Will Never Return To The TV Series

Many fans believe that Andrew Lincoln could return to The Walking Dead after the Rick Grimes trilogy of TV movies air but the actor has now made it clear that he has no plans to return to the show...

The Movies Won't Be Released In Theaters

They're Not Traditional TV Movies, Though

Michonne And Daryl Could Be Next For The Movie Treatment

These Movies Are Just The Beginning

...And They've Been Planned For Years

Why Andrew Lincoln Said Yes To The Movies

The Walking Dead Is Going Global

What The Rick Grimes Movies Will Explore

Don't Expect Oversaturation

The Movies Aren't Backdoor Pilots

THE WALKING DEAD: THE ONES WHO LIVE Star Andrew Lincoln Breaks Down That Comic-Accurate Moment - SPOILERS

THE WALKING DEAD: THE ONES WHO LIVE Season Premiere Recap: How Does Rick Grimes Return After Season 9 "Death"?

THE WALKING DEAD: THE ONES WHO LIVE Star Andrew Lincoln Breaks Down That Comic-Accurate Moment - SPOILERS

THE WALKING DEAD: THE ONES WHO LIVE Season Premiere Recap: How Does Rick Grimes Return After Season 9 "Death"?

THE WALKING DEAD: THE ONES WHO LIVE's Intense Opening Scene Almost Ends Rick Grime's Story For Good

THE WALKING DEAD: THE ONES WHO LIVE Star Andrew Lincoln Breaks Down That Comic-Accurate Moment - SPOILERS

THE WALKING DEAD: THE ONES WHO LIVE Season Premiere Recap: How Does Rick Grimes Return After Season 9 "Death"?

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