THE WALKING DEAD
Andrew Lincoln’s return to The Walking Dead could happen sooner than you think
Andrew Lincoln talks bodyrotting blockbusters and more. Walk on, waaaalk on…
Are you shooting the Walking Dead movie?
I’m not filming at the moment. I’m still very much in lockdown. We’re very excited about how, at the first available opportunity, we’re going to go into production – there’s talk of it being spring. I can’t wait to get those cowboy boots on again, is all I’m telling you.
Have you missed Rick?
Initially, I didn’t miss him too much because it was such a great finish to my story on the TV show. Also, I am in very, very close communication with all of my friends from Atlanta, so I’m always in touch with them. But then this extraordinary situation happened in the world and we all pushed the pause button, and also there had been so much happening in a country I see as my second home. I’ve never missed America more than last year, actually – it’s quite interesting. And my children… I came back for my children and they’re like, “What are you doing? We want to go back to America, get your boots on and start getting into the zombies!” So there’s a certain sense that I’ve missed the character –
I think he’s a magnificent character and I loved being Rick.
But also, throughout all of this time, percolating underneath it, has been lots of script-writing and development for the feature. So it’s difficult, because I’ve always had one eye on the movies. And then of course we’ve waited and waited and waited. Hopefully we should be receiving a script any day now, so we are very, very excited and we’ve got a wonderful team involved in it. So yes, the short answer is I’ve missed it greatly the last year. I’m looking forward to getting back.
What’s it like being known as Rick to so many people?
I’ve always said this throughout my career: it’s a compliment that people stereotype you. It means that you’ve done a worthy job in a role. But then it is my duty as an actor to keep frightening myself. I love playing the iconic Rick, but I love that I get to do completely different things away from that. However, my children are currently seeing more of Rick Grimes in homeschooling than most of the world.
Any chance of an appearance in the final series, before the movie? Or is it movies, plural?
That’s a very good question. The easy answer is I have no idea. I don’t think it’s written yet, but I would never say never to that because everybody that’s still doing the TV show are dear friends, and it’s an extraordinary feat that they’re still going and making this beautiful and ground-breaking show that still resonates with the world. I have signed for more than one film. I am a producer on it. I will not be directing, because I don’t like watching myself, so that would be a self-defeating exercise. It would just be the most painful… yeah, it just wouldn’t happen!
All of those answers will hopefully be resolved in the next couple of months but, yes, there’s more than one. We need to get the first one absolutely right and that’s why it’s taken longer than we anticipated – and obviously with the pandemic. I can’t wait. I’m really excited about broadening the scale and scope of the story and finding out where Rick is. AT
The Walking Dead movie is currently in pre-production.
I will not be directing the movie, because I don’t like watching myself