‘The Walking Dead’ Creator Robert Kirkman And Andrew Lincoln Tackle Rumors That Rick Will Die Next

Following Carl’s (Chandler Riggs) shocking death on Season 8 of The Walking Dead, none of the characters are safe moving forward, including the show’s lead Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln). While Rick’s fate is seemingly up in the air, Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman recently responded to the rumors that Rick could be killed next.

According to NME, Kirkman revealed that he doesn’t expect Rick to get killed off anytime soon. The idea that Rick could meet his end was unheard of until Carl’s death in the midseason premiere.

Those rumors picked up steam, however, after we saw Rick bleeding heavily in a flash forward, sparking fears that he might be next on the chopping block. While the show has no qualms about departing from the comics, Kirkman assured fans that killing Rick isn’t in the cards — at least not yet.

“I don’t expect that. That’s not an intention there. I’ve said from the very beginning that no one is safe. I do strongly feel like the show could survive without a Rick Grimes. There’s certainly a lot of story to tell without that central character.”

Kirkman added that Rick would die at some point in the comics, but that’s only because he doesn’t want fans thinking everyone survives the zombie apocalypse. While Rick will get killed eventually, Kirkman told fans that they shouldn’t focus on his death at the moment.

Kirkman, unfortunately, stopped short of telling us when Rick’s death might occur.

Lincoln also opened up about Rick’s fate on the show. Based on what happened to Carl this season, the actor confessed that things are not looking good for his character. As far as the flash forward is concerned, Lincoln explained how the scene is linked with Carl’s visions of the future, which should offer some hope for fans.

Lincoln is expected to return to the series in Season 9, so his character should be safe for the remainder of Season 8. But Lincoln teased fans that Rick’s road for the last few episodes is only going to get harder and more emotional.

Between dealing with Carl’s death and fighting Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) we’re not sure things could get any worse for Rick and company.

When the time comes to bid farewell to Rick, Lincoln revealed that he’d have zero regrets about being a part of the show. Not only does he love playing Rick, but he also confessed that starring on The Walking Dead has been the highlight of his Hollywood career. He only hopes that the show wraps up a lot of loose ends before ending Rick’s life and moving on.

Fans can watch Rick in action when new episodes of The Walking Dead air Sunday nights on AMC. The show’s spin-off, Fear the Walking Dead, is also set to kick off its fourth season shortly after the TWD’s Season 8 finale.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0I5Hwu6VKwE