The big part of season nine of The Walking Dead, beyond the time-jump, is that Andrew Lincoln’s Rick Grimes is finally departing the show — in some way or another.
Lincoln has previously spoken to Digital Spy about how he considered leaving all the way back in season four, and now he’s elaborated on how he came really close to quitting during the eighth season.
He told Entertainment Weekly: “I said, ‘Eight sounds like a good number’. Eight seasons was certainly something.
“Last season was a shape that I had in my head and it was certainly something that Scott (Gimple, the showrunner) was possibly thinking about as well that was a completion of a certain chapter which could be called Rick’s falling.
“Season 8 came and it got more complicated. I realised that rather than have the funeral, I had to prepare for the funeral and I had to make sure everybody was comfortable with the funeral arrangements.”
Lincoln added: “And I don’t think I was ready for the funeral! You know what I mean? I was like, I don’t think I’m ready to go yet! It was at Comic-Con (2017) that I made the decision that I couldn’t leave that year.
“I said to my wife, ‘I feel overwhelmed. I don’t think I’m ready. I can’t do it. I’ve got Norman (Reedus), I’ve got Danai (Gurira), I’ve got Jeffrey (Dean Morgan), I’ve got Melissa McBride, I’ve got Greg Nicotero — all these beautiful friends of mine and I don’t know if I can do it yet. I don’t know if it’s time’.”
The Walking Dead airs on AMC in the US, and on FOX and NOW TV in the UK. Season 9 premieres on October 7 in the US and October 8 in the UK.
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