Sure, the flagship’s final season could just serve to set up the Commonwealth before Rick’s eventual arrival, but that hardly sounds like a fitting end to the series, it’s ending relegated to a teaser for the upcoming movie. Or perhaps the series and movie are just going in a completely different direction and Rick isn’t destined to die at all at the end of the Commonwealth story. After all, Carl Grimes outlived his father in the comics, which is not the case on the TV series.
The point is that there’s definitely room, and (most importantly) a reason, for Rick to return in the show’s final season, even in a series finale surprise cameo. And Lincoln is up for it!
“That’s a very good question,” the actor responded when asked whether he’d be open to returning to the show one last time before it ends in 2022. “The easy answer is I have no idea. I don’t think it’s written yet, but I would never say never to that because everybody that’s still doing the TV show are dear friends, and it’s an extraordinary feat that they’re still going and making this beautiful and ground-breaking show that still resonates with the world.”
Regardless of where Rick ends up back on the show, or we’re left to wait for the movie, Lincoln is going to be a big part of The Walking Dead universe for the foreseeable future.
“I have signed for more than one film,” he continues. “I am a producer on it. I will not be directing, because I don’t like watching myself, so that would be a self-defeating exercise. It would just be the most painful… yeah, it just wouldn’t happen! All of those answers will hopefully be resolved in the next couple of months but, yes, there’s more than one. We need to get the first one absolutely right and that’s why it’s taken longer than we anticipated – and obviously with the pandemic. I can’t wait. I’m really excited about broadening the scale and scope of the story and finding out where Rick is.”
The Walking Dead season 11 premieres on Aug. 22.