'The Walking Dead' season 9: Robert Kirkman seemingly confirms Andrew Lincoln exit

Andrew Lincoln’s (Rick Grimes) exit in “The Walking Dead” season 9 appears to be imminent. Robert Kirkman, the creator of the comics and the executive producer of the show, hinted at this possibility in a recent interview. Meanwhile, a teaser trailer of the next season has been released online, revealing the plot and potential conflicts on the show.

According to a report by Variety, when Kirkman was asked about reports suggesting Lincoln’s exit in the next season, he said “It’s looking that way.” There have been many high profile exits on the show recently, but the end of Rick’s storyline should be the biggest shocking moment. Lincoln has been a part of the show from the very beginning, and he is the lead of the TV series. His exit will leave a vacuum, and another character will have to take on the lead role.

While some of the other exits on the show is a result of the writers killing off the characters, or making them leave, Rick’s exit is different. Kirkman pointed out that Lincoln has been “sweating in Georgia” every year in order to film the TV series, keeping him away from his family. After working on the show for so long the actor may want to take some time off and spend time with his family.

The exit of Lincoln may be followed by the exit of Lauren Cohan (Maggie Greene). The actress has reportedly signed on to appear in just a few of the episodes in the next season.

Meanwhile, a teaser trailer of “The Walking Dead” season 9 has been released online. The video posted on YouTube, shows the plot to be a sort of civil war between the heroes, something which was also teased in the season 8 finale episode. There will be some friction between the various communities that they will have to work through.