Andrew Lincoln is leaving The Walking Dead in Season 9, Norman Reedus to take lead
By Devin Shea
It has been reported that Andrew Lincoln, leading man of The Walking Dead, will be stepping away after Season 9 and Norman Reedus will be stepping in.
Things haven’t been faring well for the series The Walking Dead since the appearance of Negan. And while we don’t blame Negan in the least (Jeffrey Dean Morgan, we love you), bad choices have been made and people have been walking away from the show in droves. With the shaky continuation of Lauren Cohan on the show, nothing will remain the same after the Season 8 finale. Add to it the fact that Andrew Lincoln is bowing out from The Walking Dead universe.
Image courtesy of AMC
Go ahead and lose your collective minds because Rick Grimes is on his way out. According to Collider, Andrew Lincoln will only be playing his long-time role of the show’s leading man for six episodes in Season 9 before completely leaving the show. It is reported the source said that Lincoln wants to work on more films. While it is understandable for an actor to leave a show after so many seasons, the loss of Rick Grimes to the show can almost surely mean the show’s end.
With a bizarre finale and a weirdly revengeful Maggie, The Walking Dead‘s direction seems strange. After the news that Lauren Cohan was holding out on a better contract, fans didn’t know if Maggie would be around for future episodes. While that dispute was resolved, the pilot for Cohan’s new show, Whiskey Cavalier, was picked up for a series. Knowing that, the fate of Maggie seems uncertain, although Collider also mentions she will only be in around six episodes as well. Season 9 may be the end of Rick Grimes and Maggie Rhee. With Carl Grimes gone, where does that leave us?
Image courtesy of AMC
It seems that Daryl Dixon played by Normal Reedus will be filling the leading man shoes after Lincoln’s exit. He is receiving a “substantial compensation” for taking over the lead of the show.
So, we know Rick is leaving, but how? Of course no one will know until it happens, but in my opinion there’s only one way. He can’t just walk away like Morgan did. Rick has worked so hard to build a community and a new society, why would he just walk away from it? So that leaves Rick Grimes biting the big one. Whether it is illness, walkers or the living, no one can say. But, not unlike the mafia, the only way Rick can leave is in a body bag. One thing is for sure, Andrew Lincoln, we’re going to crazy miss you.
Image courtesy of Gene Page/AMC
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Are you going to miss Rick Grimes on The Walking Dead? How do you feel about the future of the show? Keep this conversation going in the comments section below!
(Featured image courtesy of AMC)