After playing Rick Grimes for nearly a decade, The Walking Dead’s Andrew Lincoln decided to leave the series behind. Being a beloved character, many fans were surprised to see him go during season 9. But what was the real reason behind this decision? Here’s all you need to know.
Why did Rick leave The Walking Dead?
Andrew Lincoln left his role as Rick in The Walking Dead because he wished to spend more time with his family in the UK.
Lincoln’s reasons for leaving the show were unearthed by Entertainment Weekly.
Lincoln’s two sons, Matilda and Arthur lived in the UK while he worked on The Walking Dead in the US. But as they grew up, their mobility to the US kept getting difficult every year. So, Lincoln finally decided to be with his family when Season 9 rolled out from 2018 to 2019.
However, his character wasn’t killed off. To the liking of many fans, he made a very welcome return to the last episode of the series finale. Things came to a full circle with him being a part of the final season’s ending. However, his story isn’t over yet. There’s more to come after Season 11’s end in 2022.
Will Rick ever return in The Walking Dead?
Rick Grimes will be back in the TWD spinoff titled The Walking Dead: Rick & Michonne.
After Season 11 ended, AMC decided to divide most of TWD’s main characters to lead new spinoffs. Maggie and Negan starred in The Walking Dead: The Dead City earlier this year, and will return in a second season. Meanwhile, The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon is currently running with Daryl strolling across France. He’d also return in a second season of his own.
But before that, we’d see Rick return alongside Danai Gurira’s Michonne in their own spinoff series, which will arrive sometime in 2024. Rick is said to become the central figure in the TWD universe once again as all the ongoing TWD spinoffs might eventually lead to an Endgame-like crossover event. It will be interesting to see how many more appearances the 50-year-old actor agrees to.
In entertainment elsewhere, find out when The Handmaid’s Tale Season 6 could arrive. Also, check out when The Gray Man 2 will be released on Netflix.
