Andrew Lincoln to Bid Rick Grimes Goodbye in 'The Walking Dead' Season 9
It is finally time to say goodbye to Rick Grimes when Andrew Lincoln ends his stint at "The Walking Dead" at the end of season 9.
Collider confirmed that Lincoln agreed to appear for one more season of the fan-favorite post-apocalyptic drama before he officially calls it quits.
The online magazine refused to reveal the details about the fate of the leader of the Alexandria Safe Zone, but it mentioned that he will only appear in just half a dozen episodes in the show's upcoming season.
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Lincoln remains mum about Rick's exit in season 9, but he told Entertainment Weekly that he is excited about the upcoming episodes of the AMC series.
"It's really interesting. It's very different in a good way. In an exciting way. It's more reminiscent of the pilot than any other season that we've embarked on, which makes me very happy. It's a good time for it. It's a really exciting time for it. I feel like season 1. It's a big year, and I'm excited for it," he also said.
He also told the publication that the death of his son Carl (Chandler Riggs) inspired Rick to look forward to the future. "He's got a renewed purpose because of this and because of his son. So it's absolutely a new man. This is the man who couldn't see what Deanna saw about the future and still couldn't see it for a long, long time even throughout all of this and the battle he was hell-bent on vengeance," the actor stated.
The reasons why Lincoln wanted to end his stint in the show remains under wraps, but a source reportedly told Us Weekly that the actor already has other plans.
"Andrew is leaving because he's had enough of it and wants to focus his energy on movies," the source stated.
The insider also revealed that Lincoln's co-star Norman Reedus also asked AMC to give him a $20 million paycheck for him to stay in the series.
Aside from Lincoln's departure, fans of "The Walking Dead" will also learn that Maggie Rhee will only appear in six of the first eight episodes of season 9 after actress Lauren Cohan had been cast in the lead role of ABC's "Whiskey Cavalier."
A report from Deadline claimed that once the pilot has been officially greenlighted to be a full-pledge series, Cohan will be allowed to film for "The Walking Dead" during the hiatus of the show.
However, it remains unclear whether Maggie will return in the second half of season 9. But AMC can negotiate with the actress for her full-time return if the pilot will not be ordered by ABC.
The report also claimed that Cohan has been seeking to get a pay increase for her new contract with AMC to return to the zombie drama after the end of season 8. This means that the actress' negotiations became successful because she agreed to be a part of the upcoming season.
AMC has yet to reveal the release date of "The Walking Dead" season 9 this fall.
