Nothing official concerning The Walking Dead movies starring Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes has been reported for some time now. Not a word has been heard from AMC (or anybody else) since the original announcement over four years ago. In April, Variety published the most recent news. According to a recent industry source, production on the films has not yet begun but is still in the planning stages.
As a result, the Walking Dead panel at the 2022 San Diego Comic-Con will be the centre of attention.
There’s every potential we’ll see a Rick-shaped surprise (or an appearance by Andrew Lincoln) to truly jumpstart the buzz for The Walking Dead movies, even though the panel on July 22 looks to be centred on the few remaining episodes of the main series. Read on to find out all we know about the next The Walking Dead films. There is currently no release date for the upcoming Walking Dead films. It’s unclear when The Walking Dead movies will be released, but AMC’s chief content officer Scott M. Gimple told Collider in October 2020 that pre-production on the trilogy is still happening and that COVID is impacting development.
In general, Gimple explained, “we’re following the same fundamental strategy, but movies take a bit longer and we’re playing with it in all sorts of directions.” “And then the epidemic came, which provided us with the chance or the requirement to do that We’re still doing it. [Lincoln’s] Andrew is deeply interested. There’s a lot of [Robert Kirkman] juice in here. It’s truly happening now. As it stands, we have a bit more time on our hands because of present circumstances. We’re determined to get it right this time.
When asked about his filming status in the year 2021, Andrew Lincoln told the magazine that he was “not filming at the time.” It was revealed in a recent interview with ComicBook.com(opens in new tab) by Walking Dead veteran and special effects guru Greg Nicotero that things are still “alive” and moving. As for when it’s happening, “I wish I knew and I wish I could disclose. Over the past few months, I’ve read a range of scripts. As Nicotero put it, “They’re really making sure that they get it properly.” Director Gale Anne Hurd told Variety in 2013 that when a series has such a broad reach, you have to make sure the film’s breadth matches what a theatre audience expects. That’s not all. It needs to keep up with the TV show’s intricate characters. This is why it’s taking so long.” There hasn’t been any filming yet, but given how well-equipped AMC is for quick turnarounds on The Walking Dead, it’s possible that the movie might be released as early as 2023.
Only a title card, some concept art, and a promise that Rick Grimes would return are all that is shown in the teaser trailer for The Walking Dead movies that was shown at Comic-Con in 2019. While it may appear to be just a stock image, the skyline visible in the distance might reveal the location of Rick’s location and serve as the primary setting for the film. A look at these two images side by side reveals that Philadelphia is the largest city in Pennsylvania and is only a few hundred miles from The Walking Dead season 10’s location in Virginia. If that’s the case, then Rick Grimes may not be as far away from his family as we first thought, meaning there’s a good chance he’ll return to see Daryl, Judith, and the rest… provided he survives these movies.
The next Rick Grimes film, The Walking Dead, will finally shed light on his enigmatic past. Walking Dead movies will continue Rick Grimes’ tale where season 9 left off when he was picked up half-dead by the helicopter that has appeared on and off over the previous decade, as AMC announced in 2018. For yet, we know little about the secretive civilization other than that Pollyanna McIntosh’s Jadis appears to be acquainted with them. The first of the three Walking Dead films will focus on “where Rick is taken and what he faces in a new corner of the apocalyptic landscape,” according to an AMC blog post confirming this news. “Scott Gimple called them big evolutions of what we’ve been doing on the show, with the scope and scale of features,” according to the post. On a screen, how many zombies can there possibly be? We’ll just have to wait and see what happens.
Set-ups for the main series and its spin-offs have already begun
For those who don’t want to know what’s going on in The Walking Dead season so far, here’s your spoiler warning. Are you eager to get started? Okay, good. In The Walking Dead season 10, episode 13 Danai Gurira bows out of the show for good, after her character Michonne discovers Rick’s boots (and a sketch of herself and Judith on a mobile phone) in a boat washed ashore on Virgil’s island.
Naturally, this sends her on the hunt to find her long-lost lover, several years after the events of his assumed demise in season 9, suggesting that the katana-wielding queen of Alexandria could also be making an appearance in The Walking Dead movies herself.
What’s more, The Walking Dead showrunner Angela Kang confirmed to Insider(opens in new tab) that the Japanese message seen next to the picture translates to “believe a little longer”, teasing it as “a hint at some larger story that took place.” Scott Gimple also told Talking Dead (via ComicBook.com(opens in new tab)) that “both Rick Grimes and Andrew Lincoln would not give up those boots very easily”, suggesting that the sheriff is potentially captured against his will. That would at least explain why Rick still hasn’t returned to Alexandria, but we’re gonna need more to go on than that.
Spin-off World Beyond shed more potential light on Rick’s status. Jadis reveals she handed Rick over to the Civic Republic Military as a “B”, not an “A”. That means he’s definitely still alive, though in the shadowy clutches of the CRM. Hopefully, the mainline show will continue to reveal more on the whereabouts and status of this cowboy killer as it goes on but, for now, the mystery of the missing Rick remains shrouded by several unanswered questions. The Walking Dead is set to return with its finale eight episodes on AMC in the US and Disney Plus in the UK in the fall.