SDCC 2018: The Walking Dead Creator All But Confirms Andrew Lincoln's Departure

Robert Kirkman, creator of The Walking Dead comic books, recently all but confirmed the exiting of Andrew Lincoln from the show. Rumors have been flying around recently that the Walking Dead star will be leaving after the upcoming season and while Kirkman didn't definitively say yes or no, Variety reports that he did say, "It's looking that way." [Update: Sure enough, Lincoln used The Walking Dead's SDCC panel to confirm his impending departure from the show.]

Kirkman was being interviewed at Comic-Con by IMBD when he said, "It does make the difference between the comic and the show more pronounced. But at the end of the day, it's all about Andrew Lincoln."

Lincoln has been leading the show since the very first episode, and despite what you may think given Rick's southern drawl, Lincoln is actually based in England, and has to leave his family every year to film in Georgia. Kirkman added, "This is a human being. This is someone I've known for almost a decade, somebody that I love. He's been sweating in Georgia away from his family for so long."

With all signs pointing to Lincoln's departure from The Walking Dead, fans are wondering how the show will cope without its main character. Lincoln's exit is not the only cast shakeup coming to the show in the near future, as Lauren Cohen who plays Maggie will reportedly only feature in six episodes this season, and Norman Reedus is rumored to be negotiating with AMC to take up a larger role in the show. Season 9 premieres in October.

AMC released a teaser for Season 9 of The Walking Dead and a teaser for Season 4 (part two) of Fear the Walking Dead at Comic-Con on Thursday.

San Diego Comic-Con 2018 Coverage

• Comic-Con 2018 Schedule: Guide To The Must-See TV And Movie Panels
• Comic-Con 2018 Saturday Schedule
• Best Cosplay From Comic-Con 2018 Day 1
• Best Cosplay From Comic-Con 2018 Day 2
• Best Marvel Cosplay From Comic-Con 2018
• DC Universe Titans Trailer: F*** Batman
• Everything We Learned About DC Universe
• All The Exclusive Funko Pop Figures You Can Buy At SDCC
• Doctor Who's New Sonic Screwdriver Revealed Alongside New Trailer
• Star Wars The Clone Wars Animated Series Is Back In New Trailer
• Cool-Looking Spider-Man PS4 Pro Bundle Announced
• Dragon Ball Super: Broly Movie Trailer Reveals Some Big Fights
• DC Collectibles Reveals Toys From Batman, Justice League, And More
• This Huge Lego Thanos Demands You Bow Before Him
• Netflix's Iron Fist 2 Gets Release Date, Teases Daughters Of The Dragon
• DC Holds Weird, Cult-Like Event To Promote Heroes In Crisis
• James Gunn Fired From Guardians Of The Galaxy 3
• What's Up With The "F*** Batman" Line In The New Titans Trailer?
• Andrew Lincoln Confirms The Walking Dead Season 9 Will Be His Last
• Netflix's Disenchantment: Everything We Learned About Matt Groening's New Show
• Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse Footage Debuts
• Venom Debuts New Footage, Teases Spider-Man Crossover
• Guardians of the Galaxy Star Dave Bautista Is "Not OK" With James Gunn Firing
• Fantastic Beasts 2 Footage Introduces Nicolas Flamel At Comic-Con 2018
• The Lego Movie 2 Comic-Con Footage Shows The Two Sides Of Chris Pratt
• Shazam Trailer Makes Exclusive Debut
• Aquaman Trailer Finally Arrives, Exclusive Footage Shows Classic Costume