The Walking Dead concluded with last Sunday's season 11 finale, though the franchise will live on across multiple spin-offs. Rick and Michonne, Negan and Maggie, and Daryl will all take centre stage in those, so there are only really a handful of characters we've said goodbye to.
However, had Andrew Lincoln and Danai Gurira not returned for their cameo roles, the team working on the series had a very different ending in mind.
Talking to Insider (via FearHQ.com), director and executive producer Greg Nicotero revealed "There was a scene that we had shot, but when it was decided to put the coda in we felt like it would conflict with the Rick and Michonne bit. So we took it out."
While he didn't elaborate on what it entailed, the site has a description of the sequence from an unnamed source. Here's how the scene would have played out:
"After Daryl rode off, we cut forward to the Freedom Parkway, outside Atlanta - where the iconic shot of Rick rode down from the pilot. See an ethanol-modified van, with a young woman and man in the front seats (in their twenties). And through the scene, we come to realize it's adult RJ and Judith. Other adult versions of the kids are in the back - Coco, Gracie, etc.
They're out there, looking to escort any survivors back to their communities. Continuing the legacy of their parents. As RJ speaks over the radio, he finishes with: "If you can hear me, answer back. This is Rick Grimes." (Which, of course, is his name — and the line Rick said in the pilot.) Then we end with the voice of a survivor answering back: '...Hello?'"
While not a world-building ending, this could have still served as a fitting conclusion to The Walking Dead. Of course, we can't help but think this was a sequel set-up in and of itself; still, revealing what became of Rick and Michonne's children may have effectively spoiled what happens in their spin-off project.
Confirming this description is legitimate is a photo shared by cinematographer Duane Charles Manwiller showing the adult versions of those fan-favourite characters.
Do you think this sounds like a more fitting ending for The Walking Dead?