Update: Andrew Lincoln confirms his exit as The Walking Dead Comic-Con panel today.
Andrew Lincoln confirms #TheWalkingDead exit at #SDCC pic.twitter.com/uP3BFFoPUs
— Joe Otterson (@JoeOtterson) July 20, 2018
Per Collider's exclusive Andrew Lincoln (Rick Grimes) will exit AMC's zombie drama during Season 9. He's expected to be featured in "half-a-dozen episodes of the upcoming season".
Exclusive: Andrew Lincoln is leaving #TheWalkingDead. Details here: https://t.co/U8cFBBcBaO
— Collider (@Collider) May 29, 2018
And while we won’t be spoiling just how the series’ founding character makes his exit, we do know that fans can only expect to see Lincoln in half-a-dozen episodes of the upcoming season.
To fill the void in the show’s leading man status, we’re also hearing that AMC has offered substantial compensation to long-running series star Norman Reedus to not only stay on board, but to take over the show’s leading role.
To fill the void in the show’s leading man status, we’re also hearing that AMC has offered substantial compensation to long-running series star Norman Reedus to not only stay on board, but to take over the show’s leading role.
Source:
Additionally The Hollywood Reporter is revealing that Norman Reedus has begun work on Season 9 whilst negotiating a new pact that is said to be "worth north of $20 million"
Reedus and Lincoln closed new deals at the time to return for season nine, with the former now looking to cash in given Lincoln's pending departure.
For his part, Lincoln lives with his family in London and returns to the show's Atlanta set for production. He has made no secret that he has little desire to cash in on the show's success with film deals. The actor had made no secret that he saw his time with The Walking Dead coming to an end sooner rather than later after Rick's death was foreshadowed multiple times in a season eight storyline that wound up being part of Carl's death.
For his part, Lincoln lives with his family in London and returns to the show's Atlanta set for production. He has made no secret that he has little desire to cash in on the show's success with film deals. The actor had made no secret that he saw his time with The Walking Dead coming to an end sooner rather than later after Rick's death was foreshadowed multiple times in a season eight storyline that wound up being part of Carl's death.
