Sounds Like Walking Dead Creator Robert Kirkman Will Be Super Involved In The Rick Grimes Movie

Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes

AMC's The Walking Dead has been a television sensation for a decade, expanding into two spinoffs on the network in the process. The apocalyptic drama is also expected to make its big screen debut with the untitled Rick Grimes movie. The developing film will see Andrew Lincoln reprise his iconic role, and it looks like Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman will also be intimately involved.

The Walking Dead started its life on the comics, with Robert Kirkman eventually working with Frank Darabont and AMC to adapt the story into a live-action television show. Kirkman is a producer on the show, and he recently revealed just how involved he'll be in the impending Rick Grimes movie. As he the comic book writer icon himself put it,

I haven't really talked publicly about my involvement in those Rick Grimes movies that we're doing with AMC and Universal. But I am very involved in those. I'm talking to Andrew Lincoln quite frequently, working with David Alpert and Scott Gimple, working with Universal, AMC getting that in shape. It's very important to us that these movies are spectacular. I think that to have Andrew Lincoln reprising his role as Rick Grimes is a very special thing and if we were to do these movies in any way that was in any way lackluster I think would be a disservice to him, a disservice to the character of Rick Grimes and a disservice to the fans. So I've been very hands on with shaping that story and making sure that things are on the up and up. We're all working very hard to bring you the best possible movie. That and the pandemic are why there's been a bit of a delay in news about that. I've now probably already said too much and I'm involved in that movie a bit.

Well, this is exciting. It looks like The Walking Dead franchise's journey to the big screen will be guided by none other than Robert Kirkman himself. He's involved in the movie's development and writing, as the pressure is on for TWD to deliver on the silver screen. Although exactly what Kirkman and company have in store for Andrew Lincoln's character remains a mystery.

Robert Kirkman's comments come Comic-Con at home are sure to be encouraging for the countless Walking Dead fans out there curious about Andrew Lincoln's impending return to the franchise. Ever since Rick Grimes was written off of the AMC flagship series, the public has been eager to see how the character's journey will continue following his mysterious helicopter ride. And while filming hasn't begun, clearly there's a ton of work being done to the impending film project.

Andrew Lincoln left The Walking Dead early in Season 9, with Rick Grimes seemingly perishing while blowing up the bridge in between communities. But the final scene of that episode showed Pollyanna McIntosh's Jadis/Anne rescuing the protagonist and taking him onto a helicopter to places unknown.

Danai Gurira's Michonne was recently written off of The Walking Dead as well, as the sword wielding survivor departed Alexandria after learning Rick was alive. The Rick Grimes movie sounds like a great opportunity to reunite the two fan favorite characters on the big screen, although it's unclear if that'll happen in this first big screen debut. Only time will tell, but there are plenty of fans who are invested in both characters' continues journeys.

CinemaBlend will keep you updated on all things Walking Dead movie as details become public. In the meantime, check out our 2020 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

Corey Chichizola
Movies Editor

Corey was born and raised in New Jersey. Graduated with degrees theater and literature from Ramapo College of New Jersey. After working in administrative theater for a year in New York, he started as the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. He's since been able to work himself up to reviews, phoners, and press junkets-- and is now able to appear on camera with some of his favorite actors... just not as he would have predicted as a kid. He's particularly proud of covering horror franchises like Scream and Halloween, as well as movie musicals like West Side Story. Favorite interviews include Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Jamie Lee Curtis, and more.