Andrew Lincoln ‘leaving the Walking Dead’ after season 9

Big news for fans of The Walking Dead.

Collider have reported that Andrew Lincoln, better known as Rick Grimes in The Walking Dead, will be walking away from the show after season 9. The same report states that Rick will only feature in half-a-dozen episodes of the upcoming season before calling it quits. Lincoln has been a feature of the show since the very beginning, playing the sheriff-turned-apocalypse leader, but his future involvement has been the focus of much speculation in recent months. In fact, we even had the endless theories and speculations about Rick's 'death.' To fill the void in the show’s leading man status, AMC are rumoured to be offering an improved financial offer to long-running series star Norman Reedus. Us Weekly have elaborated on this report after an unmanned source said: “Andrew is leaving because he’s had enough of it and wants to focus his energy on movies." This isn't the only changeup that has happened on the show in recent months. Rick Grimes’ son Carl (Chandler Riggs) was killed off last season, and there are rumours that Lauren Cohan (Maggie Greene) might be the next one to leave.