The Walking Dead started with Rick Grimes story, but it may not be ending there.
The Walking Dead star Andrew Lincoln, who has been the face of AMC’s zombie drama since its debut in 2010, will reportedly end his time on the AMC series during Season 9, according to Collider. It’s not clear exactly how he’ll exit the story, but this is a show about the zombie apocalypse. It probably won’t be pleasant.
Collider, who first broke the news, reports that Lincoln is expected to appear in only six episodes in the new season. ET has reached out to Lincoln’s rep for comment.
The report also claims that the cable network has offered longtime star Norman Reedus, who plays hunter Daryl Dixon, “substantial compensation” for him to replace Lincoln as the series’ new lead. AMC declined to comment to ET.
If Lincoln were to exit, his departure wouldn’t be the first major cast shakeup for the series, which will already be adjusting to co-star Lauren Cohan‘s diminished availability for season nine, as she’ll be transitioning into her new midseason ABC dramedy, Whiskey Cavalier. Earlier this year, The Walking Dead went away from its comic book source material, killing off Rick’s one-eyed son, Carl (Chandler Riggs), after he was bitten by a walker.
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Losing its central protagonist would be a big loss for The Walking Dead and would force the show to do a creative overhaul — with new showrunner Angela Kang — if it were to continue past the upcoming ninth season. While the show has lost its fair share of stars over the past eight seasons, saying goodbye to the main heartbeat of the series would be its toughest challenge yet.
Another, coincidentally timed Monday report from TV Line — which backs up an April report from Deadline — notes that Lauren Cohan, who plays Maggie on the show, will only be back for six of the first half of Season 9’s eight episodes. There’s no word on whether or not she’ll return for the back half of the season.
There had been some question about Cohan returning at all, since her contract expired after Season 8. But then Cohan herself confirmed she’d be back in late April.
Outgoing Walking Dead showrunner Scott M. Gimple told The Hollywood Reporter in April that season nine and beyond will be a different chapter in the show’s history.
The Walking Dead returns in October on AMC.
(Excerpts) Read More at: Mashable.com and ETOnline.com
