When Andrew Lincoln announced his departure from the series the blow was softened with the promise he would return to TWDU.

Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes - The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live _ Season 1, Episode 2 - Photo Credit: Gene Page/AMC Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes – The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live _ Season 1, Episode 2 – Photo Credit: Gene Page/AMC

 

One of the most disappointing events in The Walking Dead series was the departure of Andrew Lincoln. The actor portrayed Rick Grimes beginning in the pilot episode until the bridge explosion in season 9. When Lincoln announced he would be leaving the series, fans were consoled by the promise of three movies starring Rick Grimes. What became of these movies?

In the season 9 episode “What Comes After,” Michonne (Danai Gurira) and the others watch in horror as Rick is caught in the bridge explosion, and they believe he died at that moment. Viewers see that not only did Rick survive but he was rescued by Jadis/Anne (Pollyanna McIntosh). She traded him to gain entry into the CRM (Civic Republic Military).

These events were initially supposed to lead into the trilogy of movies featuring Rick Grimes. After some executive changes at AMC Network, the movies were scraped to make way for something better.

Rick and Michonne spinoff

Danai Gurira, Andrew Lincoln, Scott M. Gimple 2022 Comic-Con International: San Diego – AMC’s “The Walking Dead” Panel | Kevin Winter/GettyImages

At SDCC 2022, Lincoln and Gurira surprised the audience by appearing on stage to announce plans for a new spinoff series that would see the actors reprise their roles as Rick and Michonne.

This was followed by a surprise coda scene at the end of The Walking Dead’s finale. Viewers were emotional as they watched the last episode of the long-running series, and to their surprise, Rick and Michonne were featured in a bonus scene to bring the series full circle to its conclusion.

Fast-forward to SDCC 2023, where the six-part limited series was officially announced as The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live.

TOWL_106_GP_0503_0370-RT Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes, Danai Gurira as Michonne, Cailey Fleming as Judith, Anthony Azor as RJ – The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live _ Season 1, Episode 6 – Photo Credit: Gene Page/AMC

The Ones Who Live premiered on AMC and AMC+ on Feb. 25, 2024, and closed out this chapter of Rick and Michonne’s story. Viewers watched the highly anticipated reunion between the couple and, at the end, with their children Judith (Cailey Fleming) and RJ (Antony Azor).

The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live will be added to Netflix on Jan. 13, 2025. This is part of an ongoing partnership that brings several AMC originals to the streamer.