In Issue 1 of
The Walking Dead made it was made clear that the story was about Rick Grimes, and it is because of this that there was so much controversy surrounding the character's departure from AMC's hit adaptation of the series. In a time where tentpole characters Maggie and Carl are gone, it seemed to be just another negative mark on the show.
However, it was soon revealed that although Andrew Lincoln has left the television series permanently, he will instead be the star of a
The Walking Dead movie trilogy that will likely feature on AMC. The following are comments that Scott Gimple, writer of the untitled Rick Grimes-centric film from November when he spoke with
Entertainment Weekly.
“It is really important for the audience to know that we are going to be continuing to tell the story of Rick Grimes in these AMC Studios original films. We don’t want this thing to be like, ‘Oh, well, he’ll be back on the show any moment now.’ We are telling Rick’s story in another medium, and it’s going to be these AMC Studios original films. They’re going to be on AMC, most probably. They’re centered around Rick Grimes. We’re going to tell the story of what happens after that helicopter flight, and these are going to be big, epic entertainments.”
Since then there hasn't been many updates but there has been work done behind the scenes, and these comments in a recent issue of
The Walking Dead's letterhacks from creator Robert Kirkman which promote the entire
The Walking Dead universe touts that we will definitely know more soon!
"Season 9 of the show is in full swing! And I hope you guys are as thrilled to see THE WHISPERERS come to life as we are here at Skybound Central. New showrunner Angela Kang has just been doing marvelous work over there. And Greg Nicotero’s work (both directing and overseeing the makeup effects) continues to be a high water mark. And there’s just SO MUCH cooking behind the scenes with TWD now that Scott Gimple has stepped into his overseer role on the TV side of things. Stay tuned for all kinds of news as we get closer to the launch of Season 5 of Fear The Walking Dead and we get deeper into development on this Rick Grimes TV movie. There’s some great stuff coming!”
Meanwhile, what is going on in Andrew Lincoln's head as he makes the transition after 9 years of leading an ensemble cast? Here are his comments with
New York Times.
“You know what he’s capable of, and I thought the idea of a character that the audience knows and has lived with — and who has oscillated between psycho and father for nine years — to start in a completely different place, was a really interesting, crazy place to begin. I want to know why we keep seeing helicopters flying around. What’s going on? What have the grown-ups been doing while we’ve been scrambling around in the dirt?”
What are your guys' thoughts of these comments and the movies in general? Are you excited to see Rick in another scenario, or do you think the main series suffers in his absence? Let us know below and make sure to check out the penultimate episode of the
The Walking Dead Season 9 on Sunday!
The Walking Dead is an American post-apocalyptic survival series featuring a large ensemble cast of survivors of the zombie apocalypse, trying to stay alive from the near-constant threat of attacks from the mindless zombies, colloqially known as walkers. However, with the fall of humanity these survivors also face conflict from other living survivors who have formed groups and communities with their own sets of laws and morals, often leading to hostile conflict between the human communities.
The Walking Dead airs on AMC on Sunday nights at 9.