Rick Grimes, played by Andrew Lincoln, left The Walking Dead in season 9, airlifted away to parts unknown. The Walking Dead is an ensemble show so it was able to go on without him, but Rick was the central character of the series for over eight seasons, so his absence was felt.
AMC has been working on a series of Rick Grimes movies for a while, but they’ve been slow in coming. But surely we’ll see him at least one more time before the show reaches the end of its eleventh and final season, which is airing right now?
Well, we can’t be sure of anything, but the rumor mill is churning and the evidence is piling up. Let’s take a look at it.
Andrew Lincoln back near The Walking Dead filming location
First up, Andrew Lincoln was spotted hanging out with his old Walking Dead costar Norman Reedus (Daryl Dixon) at the Nagomiya sushi restaurant in Atlanta, about an hour from the show’s long-time base of operations in Senoia.
Although you wouldn’t know it by watching The Walking Dead, Andrew Lincoln is British, so he doesn’t travel to Atlanta lightly. At minimum, he’s visiting his old buddies. At maximum…
Another clue came in from in courtesy of The Walking Dead cinematographer Duane Charles Manwiller, who posted a behind-the-scenes photo on his Instagram. The photo itself doesn’t involve Andrew Lincoln, but a commenter asked, “Will we know something about Andy soon.” And Manwiller responded, “Yes indeed.”
Now, is any of that hard proof that Lincoln is indeed returning to The Walking Dead as Rick Grimes? No. But given how much AMC surely wants to have him back before the end, it’s enough to raise an eyebrow. Both eyebrows.
New episodes of The Walking Dead drop on Sundays on AMC. Subscribers to AMC+ can watch them a week early.
To stay up to date on everything fantasy, science fiction, and WiC, follow our all-encompassing Facebook page and sign up for our exclusive newsletter.
Get HBO, Starz, Showtime and MORE for FREE with a no-risk, 7-day free trial of Amazon Channels
h/t Reddit