Why Andrew Lincoln left The Walking Dead during season 9

After the actor Andrew Lincoln led the show for 9 seasons, the reason why Rick left The Walking Dead During season 9, much of the rest of the series and beyond is set up. Based on the acclaimed comic series by Robert Kirkman, The Walking Dead’s The main role of Rick Grimes was played by Andrew Lincoln. A season 1 mainstay, it seemed inevitable that Rick would be one of the season 1 few The Walking Dead Letters to keep the course. However, Rick is leaving The Walking Dead In season 9, the future of the franchise is opened.

Even for a show like The Walking Dead With its shocking character deaths and an ever-changing cast list, Lincoln’s season 9 Exit was a huge shock to viewers. One of the reasons The Walking Dead The frequency and unpredictable nature of main characters suddenly dying during the zombie apocalypse story was so great. Surprisingly, the reason why Rick left The Walking Dead Was not due to his character’s death but rather a decision of the actor that also left room for the character to return.

Why Rick Grimes’ actor Andrew Lincoln left The Walking Dead

The show used Rick’s departure as a way to change things

When season 9 rolled around, Rick Grimes and Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus) seemed to be The Walking Dead Masters that would last until the end. Rick was there until the end of the story of The Walking Dead comics, so viewers of the AMC show familiar with the source material expected Andrew Lincoln to be a regular TWD cast member. However, that changed on the TV series during season 9 with his surprise departure – although he did return for one final appearance in The Walking Dead Series finale.

As for why Rick Grimes was written out of the show, Andrew Lincoln is gone The Walking Dead Because of his desire to be close to his family. Andrew Lincoln is the father of two young children, and they live in the UK. Since The Walking DeadThe production is primarily in Atlanta and lasts several months, Lincoln is not able to spend as much time at home as he would like. Ultimately, Lincoln realized that, to spend more time with his family, he needed to leave The Walking Dead (via EW):

“I have two young children, and I live in a different country, and they are becoming less portable as they get older… It was that simple. It was time for me to come home.”

Regardless of why Rick left The Walking DeadIt proved to be a turning point for the series. Without its biggest character, the show had to turn its focus elsewhere and reinvent the story. The Walking Dead Season 9’s six-year time jump coincided with Lincoln’s exit, Which allowed the series to show what happened to the core group of characters without Rick. For the creators, writers and viewers, Rick Grimes’ departure was a blessing in disguise. The Walking Dead Was well-received afterwards and managed to make it to the season 11 final without the group’s leader.

Rick Grimes TWD return explained

Rick’s Early Exit sets up a new The Walking Dead spinoff

Rick’s exit from the series was a reminder of the hero he had always been The Walking Dead. In the episode, “What’s Next,” an influx of walkers headed toward the survivors and Rick knew he needed to act quickly. With Michonne, Daryl, Maggie, Carol and his own daughter Judith in danger, Rick did what he thought was best. He sacrificed himself to save his friends and family. Rick blew up the bridge full of walkers to save the ones he loved.

It was a final sacrifice – Except Rick didn’t die. Jadis showed up in the CRM helicopter, and they took Rick away, and off the show until the series finale. This led to Rick’s reappearance The Walking Dead Series finale so shocking. In the last moments of the US At the end of the series, Rick writes a letter to Michonne about both the dead and the living. Rick can be seen on a beach, packing a backpack. He puts his message in a bottle and then throws it into the lake when a helicopter can be heard off screen.

He quickly throws the backpack into a nearby boat, when a CRM helicopter says over the loudspeaker, – Grimes, you were caught and forced to surrender. Rick ends up putting his hands in the air, smiling as the helicopter descends. Michonne is also alive, racing on horseback to search for Rick after finding evidence that he may still be alive. This is, of course, from the backpack that Rick threw onto the boat.

It all tied together nicely and that final scene in The Walking Dead Set up the Rick and Michonne six-episode miniseries, The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live. The show premiered in February 2024 and continued the love story between Rick and Michonne as they fought to reunite.

What Andrew Lincoln did after leaving The Walking Dead

Lincoln will return to television in a new series

Rick Grimes is an iconic character in television history, so it can be assumed that Andrew Lincoln has a number of acting opportunities after leaving the series. However, the actor did not have any major roles outside of The Walking Dead universe for a number of years. Except for returning as Rick in The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live, Lincoln’s most recent role since leaving the series was an episode of Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities.

Andrew Lincoln’s Post-TWD Projects:

In 2020, Lincoln made his first movie in a decade with the Australian drama Game Penguin FlowerWith Naomi Watts. That same year, Lincoln also returned to the theater as Ebeneezer Scrooge in an Old Vic production of A Christmas Carol. Now Lincoln is ready to return to television with the British series Cold water In which he will play an unhappy man living in a small Scottish village who strikes up a friendship with his strange neighbor.

It will be strange to see Lincoln in another role after knowing him as Rick for so long The Walking Dead. However, it is also exciting to see the actor return to new roles and hopefully, it will be the start of an exciting new phase in his career. Of course, though The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live Is always intended as a miniseries, there is the possibility of Rick’s return to The Walking Dead Franchise again.