Andrew Lincoln Will Return in The Walking Dead Film Trilogy
Rick Grimes' final episode has shaken things up in a major way.
By Chris Morse
On Sunday, Andrew Lincoln played the part of Rick Grimes for the last time on The Walking Dead television series. For those who haven't yet tuned in, spoilers lie ahead! It's been a solid nine and a half year run for Lincoln but it's not quite over yet. After surviving his final episode, although barely, Rick lives on and is diverging from the main story with Jadis (otherwise known as Anne) and the mysterious helicopter that's been teased for some time now.
After we learned of this fate and the episode wrapped up, EW was finally able to pull back the curtains on what lies next for the franchise. The biggest news here is that Andrew Lincoln will return to reprise the role of Rick Grimes in a trilogy of The Walking Dead movies, all of which will likely air on AMC when it comes time to continue his part of the story.
The Walking Dead chief content officer Scott Gimple was able to make the announcement and explain what it all means in terms of the logistics and what fans can expect.
[blockquote-0]Regarding when this is going to happen, Gimple revealed that the first movie should start filming next year. It's not on a television schedule, so that alleviates some of the issues that Lincoln was having continuing the show away from his family. It also ensures that the character's story continues the way that everyone would like to see.
[blockquote-1]These may not be the only Walking Dead movies, or even the only ones featuring Rick Grimes, but the current plans are for a trilogy led by Lincoln's character. Continuing his story is simply the big priority at the moment and the most substantial story that needs to be told.
[blockquote-2]In the meantime, however, what does this mean for the television series? This is the true new beginning as we jump ahead much farther beyond Rick's exit, which will be six years later. The first time jump was a much smaller one to set up Lincoln's departure from the show, but what we will be seeing now will be drastically changing the dynamic of the series.
Gimple added some comments about this time jump, which will bring us forward into this new era as Judith gets older and our characters are forging ahead to face new challenges with Rick out of the picture. Check out his comments below.
[blockquote-3]This is all very exciting and arguably the best way that AMC could have pulled this off, considering how drastically they are diverging from the source material of the comic series. Not only is Rick Grimes still a part of this world, with his story taking him elsewhere, we are skipping ahead a few years and can expect to see a growing-up Judith begin to take center stage in this narrative.
If a series is going to try to continue on without its lead while still honoring the character, keeping him alive and pushing the story far enough ahead to really move on is the right way to go about it. Rightfully, there was plenty of skepticism about handling Lincoln's exit from the television series but by no means was this a bait-and-switch. Fans may have speculated that Rick would be killed off, but an abrupt end at this point in time just wouldn't have honored the character well enough in this author's opinion.
Even though the character will be heading into some uncharted territory, Robert Kirkman's comic series was always focused around Rick and allowing him to remain part of the universe is the best way to play his departure from the show. In the meantime, we look forward to bringing you more coverage of the show as well as the upcoming movies here on Dead Entertainment.
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