While it seemed like AMC’s hit show the Walking Dead had killed off its star character Rick Grimes, played by actor Andrew Lincoln, by the end of the episode titled What Comes After it was revealed that Grimes is in fact alive, leaving fans around the world in an utter state of shock.
But the character is certainly not coming back to the show, as has been confirmed by Andrew Lincoln himself. Instead, we will now get to see Rick in three TV films produced as AMC Originals. According to the chief content officer of the show, Scott Gimple, the story-line of these films will pick up from Rick’s final scene on the TV show. Apparently, at least according to Gimple, there is a lot more story to tell from Rick’s perspective, and we just can’t wait to see it.
Expanding the Franchise
The Walking Dead is already inspired by a comic series although the show has deviated immensely from the story-line of the comics. Now the aim is to give the audience a more holistic perspective of the world of the Walking Dead, and these feature films will help the show creators achieve that by focusing on a part of the world which viewers have never seen before on the show.
The films will show on AMC, and if press releases are to be believed, then the story-line of the first film will revolve around the challenges faced by Rick as he is taken into an area completely unexplored by the show. Makers of the show have currently envisioned production of three such films, although this is not a hard number and is open to change as creators of the show as well as AMC deem fit.
A spin-off to the show by the name Fear The Walking Dead has already been made, so this is not the first time the series is being expanded to showcase different story-lines in the same universe.
Easier Job For Lincoln
The films are expected to enter into production sometime next year, and they will allow actor Andrew Lincoln much more time to spend with his family as the TV series proved to be a major time commitment for him.
These films are not the only expansion of the hit TV show proposed by AMC. The channel has also proposed more films, TV specials, and digital content as part of the expansion. But what is truly intriguing is the fact that while some of these would link to the story-line which we have come to know and love, others will enter completely new realms, exploring the world of the Walking Dead like never before.
A Much Bigger World
Gimple is certainly very hopeful that this expansion into the world of the Walking Dead would prove to be very exciting both for the show makers as well as the show watchers.
According to him, the films are going to be made on a much larger scale compared to the TV show, allowing fans to get a more in-depth glimpse into a world which has grown quite familiar over the years. Past characters of the show may also make an appearance in these expansions, while new characters would also be introduced in a way which would make them fan favorites just like the series regulars.
Certainly having multiple mediums to depict the same universe offers a much bigger creative room to the show’s creators, especially in terms of character development. Another major goal for AMC is to bring the show on multiple platforms, integrating it into one immersive story-line that would find no parallel at least among other TV show franchises. The opinion of fans has always been given a lot of importance, and now that the show will have a much bigger canvas to explore even multiple story-lines all at once, fans would definitely find the narrative all the more satisfying.