The Walking Dead has gone through some major cast shake-ups over the years. In fact, only four characters from Season 1 have survived all the way to Season 7. Young Chandler Riggs' recent acceptance into Auburn University has led some viewers to wonder if Carl will be the next character to get the ax so that the actor can attend college full-time. Now, Riggs has weighed in on whether or not he could stay on the show and go to college, saying this:
Yes. Theoretically, I could take one or two classes on campus and maybe an online class. My professors would have to be willing to cooperate. It wouldn't be easy but I think that could be possible.
There we have it. Chandler Riggs isn't necessarily planning on leaving The Walking Dead entirely to focus all his efforts on college. We may not have to watch Rick lose yet another member of his family, and Carl's recent upgrade from mopey teenager to badass rebel may not be wasted by a premature death. It might be tricky for the 17-year-old actor to work out a schedule with his professors that would allow him to continue his work in the zombie apocalypse in addition to his curriculum, but it could be mutually beneficial for Riggs and the college. Auburn University would get an awful lot of free press if a star of one of the biggest shows on television takes classes there.
There's no guarantee that Chandler Riggs will be able to stick with Carl as well as take classes, however. Still, he seems as enthusiastic about The Walking Dead as ever. He also told THR this about his plans for the future:
You never know how it will go. I really do hope it works out because that would be really cool. I like to be in The Walking Dead and I like to play video games and just hang out with my friends and try to be as normal as possible so going to college would be another really cool, normal experience in my life. I want for it to work out.
From a practical standpoint, Chandler Riggs probably could stick with the show and attend Auburn University without too much trouble. The school is located in Auburn, Albama, which isn't that far of a trip from where The Walking Dead films in Atlanta, Georgia. Throw in the fact that the cast is huge despite some big Season 7 character deaths, and Carl wouldn't need to die or disappear or get another body part shot off to explain any absences. Even Rick doesn't appear in every single episode nowadays. Chandler Riggs could have a reduced filming schedule without any of us really noticing. If Emma Watson could earn a degree from Brown while filming two Harry Potter movies and a couple of independent films, surely Chandler Riggs can manage to stay on The Walking Dead while studying at Auburn.
No character is ever 100% safe on The Walking Dead, so we shouldn't take Chandler Riggs' enthusiasm as a guarantee that Carl won't be killed off. Still, we don't have to count Carl out just yet. Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for the latest in The Walking Dead news, and check out The Walking Dead next Sunday at 9 p.m. ET to see what happens to Carl, Daryl, and the rest in the super-sized midseason finale. With Negan currently cuddling baby Judith in Alexandria, we can bet that the stakes will be pretty high in the episode. Check out our midseason 2017 TV premiere schedule to see what you can watch during the Walking Dead hiatus.
