The Walking Dead has a number of spinoff shows coming up, not to mention the final episodes of the original show. But there is one story in particular that we are dying to know more about: whatever happened to Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln), the main character of the show who left in season 9?
For years, AMC has allegedly been working on a series of movies that would answer that question, but they’ve been stalled amidst the pandemic. But now that things are getting back to some semblance of normal, fans are once again on the hunt for updates.
The latest hint comes at us sideways. You see, one of the proposed Walking Dead spinoffs was going to be about Carol (Melissa McBride) and Daryl (Norman Reedus). Unfortunately, McBride exited the series, so it’s just about Carol now. AMC’s official statement on the matter got fans thinking:
"Unfortunately, [McBride] is no longer able to participate in the previously announced spinoff focused on the Daryl Dixon and Carol Peletier characters, which will be set and filmed in Europe this summer."
Hmm, Europe, you say?
Is Rick Grimes from The Walking Dead in Europe?
Okay, so if they’re filming in Europe, I’m going to assume that Daryl somehow ends up there. The show has hinted at crazy things afoot in Europe in the post-credits scene from The Walking Dead: World Beyond. That scene took place in France, where apparently there’s a variant of walker that can run. That may even be where the zombie epidemic started.
So why would Daryl travel to such a place? Perhaps, as the theory goes, because he finds out that Rick is there. We don’t know what happened to Rick after the CRM airlifted him away in season 9, and Europe is as good a place as any.
Plus, if the series is being filmed in Europe, it would make it much easier for Andrew Lincoln, who is British, to appear in it. He left The Walking Dead in the first place to be closer to his family, and with this spinoff filming in Europe, there has never been a better opportunity to return.
Time will tell if fans are setting themselves up for disappointment with these theories, or if we’ll finally get that Rick Grimes return we’ve all been waiting for.
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h/t CBR