Sherriff Grimes walks away
Walking Dead star leaving show next year
Much like its zombies who never seem to die, AMC’s The Walking Dead has continued to drag along, but now, with one fewer leading man.
For Andrew Lincoln, who has captained the show since it began as the eternally exhausted former sheriff Rick Grimes, the upcoming ninth season will be his last, reports Collider.
Lincoln will be included in six episodes, and whether he’ll succumb to the same fate as his fictional wife and son before him and be killed off, or find another way out, is yet to be seen.
The actor previously hinted he was itching to make an exit, telling The Hollywood Reporter in December “there needs to be an end game and that is something that is definitely being talked about.”
Rick’s death was foreshadowed several times during Season 8, wrapping instead with his son Carl’s unexpected death, despite fans assuming he would be the character Rick would eventually pass the baton to.
Lincoln’s departure is still unexpected for fans, who had anticipated Lauren Cohan’s exit after she signed on for a lead role in the upcoming ABC drama Whiskey Cavalier ( just as her contract ended with the AMC series and rumoured salary negotiations didn’t work out).
She, too, will return for six episodes in The Walking Dead’s ninth season, with a similar “part-time” deal to Lincoln’s, reports TVLine.
Norman Reedus, who has also starred on The Walking Dead since its inception and quickly become a fan favourite, will take over leading man duties as Daryl Dixon. THR reports that also means a substantial pay increase, with the actor negotiating a deal that will see him earning more than $20 million.
That’s not the only change coming to The Walking Dead, which will also see its fourth showrunner in Angela Kang when she takes over next season, replacing Scott M. Gimple, who told THR after the Season 8 finale, “We knew for a long time that season (eight) was, in many ways, the end of a chapter of the show. The differences that people will be seeing in season nine and beyond are going to be pronounced. It’s going to be a very different show with characters handling very different issues, challenges and threats than we’ve seen before. These characters will be different in a lot of ways.”