'The Walking Dead' Character Rick Grimes' Story Will Live On In At Least Three Films
The journey of Rick Grimes in zombie apocalypse world did not end in The Walking Dead. He is definitely alive and his story will continue in a series of TV films that AMC is planning to produce.
Many TWD fans anticipated that Rick will be killed off in The Walking Dead Season 9 Episode 5. It was, however, revealed that the beloved character is not dead as his friends and other survivors had presumed. He survived his severe injuries from an explosion and was rescued by a helicopter towards the end of the episode.
AMC then announced that viewers should not be worried that they will not see Rick again. The network has revealed its plan to expand The Walking Dead universe and it is already in development. It will be a three-part movie series that features Rick Grimes.
It looks like the first installment in the trilogy will pick up immediately after the events in the flagship series. According to AMC, the first installment in Rick Grimes-centric movies will explore where the character was taken by the helicopter. It will also feature the new challenges that Rick will be facing on the other side of the zombie apocalypse.
The initial installment is expected to begin production early next year. Actor Andrew Lincoln will still be playing the role while TWD chief content officer Scott M. Gimple will executive produce and pen the script for the films.
"I like the idea that we get to tell a bigger story, maybe with a sort of wider vista."I've always been interested in what's going on out there, you know, whether or not there is contact with the wider world," Lincoln said during the TWD after-show The Talking Dead (via CNN).
The idea of TV movies was first raised when Gimple and Lincoln had a conversation when they are filming the Season 4 of the post-apocalyptic drama. Lincoln revealed in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter that the original plan was for his Rick to be killed off in season eight.
The actor decided to leave the show to spend more time with his family in England. Apparently, the filming of The Walking Dead requires him to be away from his family for a long period of time. The cast and crew of the show spend about nine months filming in Atlanta.
But the plan changed when Gimple and Lincoln decided to continue Rick's story in a way that the actor will spend more time with his family while AMC expands the franchise. THR reported that in the upcoming small screen movies, Lincoln will only be spending two months of filming for each movie.
Meanwhile, Gimple hinted that old characters may appear in the upcoming feature-length TV movies along with new characters. He also revealed that the series may also extend to more than three installments.