It has been a grueling three years since we last saw Andrew Lincoln’s Rick Grimes among our favorite group of zombie apocalypse survivors, as he made his exit during The Walking Dead’s ninth season. That being said, we know the character isn’t gone from us for good, as his spin-off movie has been the source of much speculation and has provided updates since it was first announced. Now it looks like we have some especially promising news, as the actor's latest update on the status of his character's comeback movie makes it all start to feel pretty real.
Andrew Lincoln has cleared up the timeline for the long-awaited Rick Grimes spin-off movie in an interview with SFX Magazine (via Games Radar) by saying that there has been talk of production starting up in the spring, which is pretty much now, right?! Said Lincoln,
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.
Even though Andrew Lincoln says he is “still very much in lockdown”, it doesn’t seem like that will be the case for much longer. With spring already half over, it sounds like Lincoln will be donning Rick Grimes' cowboy boots very soon, and they’re sure to get some walker blood on them in no time.
It also sounds like everyone who has a hand in making the spin-off film is just as excited as fans are for production to get under way. Andrew Lincoln’s Rick Grimes has been a part of both the AMC series and the OG The Walking Dead comics since the very beginning, and although it’s hard to pinpoint a major main character, if we had it, it would pretty much be Rick Grimes. With that in mind, Lincoln is a pretty important figure in the franchise and his character has a pretty substantial following.
With both Andrew Lincoln and Rick Grimes being such an important part of The Walking Dead, his departure in Season 9 left fans with a little bit of a hole. Fans have been through a coma, as well the loss of a best friend, wife, and child with Rick Grimes – he can’t just up and leave us in a chopper!
Thankfully, though, the Rick Grimes movie has now become very real with an awesomely close production timeline. That promise of more Rick Grimes isn’t limited to just one movie either, as Andrew Lincoln has signed on for multiple spin-off films. Even though The Walking Dead series will be coming to an end after Season 11 concludes next year, it sounds like things are still looking up for fans.
