How's Rick Grimes Gonna Die?

Andrew Lincoln, the actor who plays the gravelly voiced zombie apocalypse leader Rick Grimes on The Walking Dead, will reportedly leave the show (and his crew!) behind after Season 9 because it is indeed time for Rick Grimes to get the fuck outta dodge.

According to Deadline:

Star Andrew Lincoln, who has played beleaguered former sheriff Rick Grimes since the show’s premiere, will exit the AMC zombie drama in its upcoming ninth season, sources confirm to The Hollywood Reporter. Meanwhile, co-star Norman Reedus, who plays Daryl, is in the midst of negotiating a rich new deal that will pay him more than $20 million as he will become the new No. 1 on the call sheet.

Hell yeah, Daryl! I have not watched this show since they introduced Negan and the ratings started dropping like a group of ugly walkers being shot in the head, but maybe re-centering the apocalypse around Daryl will put some heart back into it. (Alas, I’m still not gonna watch.) Either way, the Rick character, per Deadline, “will be phased out in season nine in a fashion similar to co-star Lauren Cohan [aka Maggie], who will film only six episodes of the series.”

Season 9 will be something of a reset for TWD and Rick’s death has been “foreshadowed multiple times in a season-eight storyline that wound up being part of Carl’s [Ed. Note: glorious] death.”

The question now is, how’s Rick gonna die? He’s thwarted death for eight seasons now and has to go out with a huge, horrific bang. Can Shane return somehow and finish him? Anyway, peace to Rick.