AMC respond to Rick Grimes rumors in Walking Dead: World Beyond finale

AMC have responded to rumors that Rick Grimes will make an appearance in The Walking Dead: World Beyond finale, and it’s not the news we wanted.

The last time viewers saw series protagonist Rick on season 9 of main series The Walking Dead, he’d blown up a bridge and was presumed dead by his loved ones. But, he was actually whisked off in a helicopter by the Civic Republic Military, and taken away to an unknown location.

Given that the new spin-off series World Beyond promises to explore the mystery behind the ominous Civic Republic Military, some fans hoped that we’d learn more about Rick’s fate, and potentially even see a cameo or full-blown return for Rick as the first season progressed.

Those rumors went up a notch when it was noticed that Rick actor Andrew Lincoln’s name appeared on the IMDB cast list for The Walking Dead: World Beyond’s finale episode.

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While it was always unlikely that Rick would return for a major part in the show, given that he’s got his own movies in the works, fans had hoped that he would appear in a flashback sequence or a teaser scene of what to expect in the future.

AMC denies Rick Grimes rumors

Unfortunately, speculation has now been put to bed by AMC. The listing on IMDB has been removed, and a representative for the broadcaster told Insider that the cast listing was “not accurate”.

There’s still a chance that Rick could make a surprise appearance on World Beyond at some point, and the show’s creators may just want to keep it a surprise for now.  The show’s star Nico Tortorella did previously tease that he’d shared a scene with Andrew Lincoln after all…

Or maybe we’re all just getting too excited over nothing. Time will tell.

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It’s been confirmed that The Walking Dead will end after its 11th season, and World Beyond will run for just two seasons. But Rick’s story will live on in a trilogy of movies that are currently underway – you can find out everything we know about the feature-length adventures here.