The Walking Dead: AMC debunks rumor about Rick Grimes returning

The Walking Dead fans want to see Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) again, and the signs were pointing to him being in The World Beyond. Not so much, says AMC.

While it’s confirmed that fan-favorite Andrew Lincoln (Rick Grimes) will return to The Walking Dead universe for multiple movies, an AMC representative has debunked rumors that he will appear in the season finale of the new spinoff, The Walking Dead: World Beyond.

There have been a couple of hints pointing towards Rick showing up in the finale, starting with Lincoln appearing in the cast listing on IMDb. Unfortunately, an AMC representative told Insider that the listing was simply “not accurate” and that Rick will not appear in the finale.

The listing has since been deleted. IMDb listings can be easily edited, and it’s likely that a fan decided to add Lincoln to the list to stir up excitement, and it worked.

But that was far from the only place fans were getting the idea that Rick might show up. Even Nico Tortorella, who plays Felix on World Beyond, got in on the fun. When a fan asked him on Instagram about his favorite actor to share scenes with, he answered “Andrew Lincoln.” Oh, you’ve done it now, Nico!

Then there’s the post-credits scene from the fourth episode of The World Beyond, which links back to Rick’s last appearance on the original show. We’re taken to a mysterious lab where Civic Republic scientist Lyla is examining walkers, one named A402 and the other A403. This is similar to the “A” and “B” codenames Jadis used to get Rick on the Civic Republic helicopter in his final episode in season 9.

Fans have been combing World Beyond for references to Rick. Showrunner Matt Negrete basically promised them. “You will get answers as to potentially where Rick was taken,” he told Digital Spy. “I think that we’ll also get answers in terms of why he was taken there.” This is probably the biggest hint yet, but it doesn’t mean that Rick will actually appear on the show, at least not this season.

Still, we’ll keep looking for clues. The Walking Dead: World Beyond airs on Sundays on AMC.

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