The Walking Dead creator says the Rick Grimes movie will be "very different" to the show

Rick Grimes in The Walking Dead
(Image credit: AMC)

The Walking Dead continues to move full steam ahead, with season 10 currently airing, but it's been without its main character Rick Grimes since 2018. However, Andrew Lincoln will return as the former sheriff in an upcoming movie trilogy and Robert Kirkman, co-creator of The Walking Dead comic series, has given an update on what we can expect.

"I think that the show is very much an ensemble story and this is very much Rick's story. So, I think being able to focus more on Rick as a character and do more with him is really cool. I think it's gonna be a very different kind of Walking Dead story, which is really exciting," Kirkman told Comic Book.

"You know, when you're doing something like this you have to make sure that it makes sense for it to be a movie. This isn't just some kind of expansion of what you're expecting from the show," he added. "This is something that's gonna be very different but it's gonna be the Rick Grimes that we all know and love, and I'm very excited for people to finally see it when it's released in 2032." 

Don't be too worried about the 2032 comment – we'll be seeing Rick again a lot sooner, with Kirkman promising: "It'll be before then, I guarantee it." The comment is probably Kirkman poking fun at the disruptions brought to the entertainment industry by the pandemic. 

Kirkman also talked about the show finishing with season 11. "I haven't really thought about [ending The Walking Dead] to be honest, cause it's still a ways away," he commented. "At the same time, you know, we're already talking about the Carol and Daryl show and there's different ways that The Walking Dead will live on, so I guess concluding at season 11 in some ways isn't really a conclusion. So, I haven't really thought about it but now you're making me real sad."

The Walking Dead season 11 doesn't currently have a release date, but we can expect to see it sometime in 2021 – and The Walking Dead movies have no set dates, either. Until then, check out what you've got to look forward to this year with our guide to 2021's movie release dates.

Molly Edwards
Senior Entertainment Writer

I'm a Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering all things film and TV for the site's Total Film and SFX sections. I previously worked on the Disney magazines team at Immediate Media, and also wrote on the CBeebies, MEGA!, and Star Wars Galaxy titles after graduating with a BA in English.