Robert Kirkman, the creator of The Walking Dead comic the show is based on, has confirmed he'll be involved in the Rick Grimes movie. Andrew Lincoln, who played Grimes from the show's inception until the character's departure in season 9, will reprise the role in a theatrical movie being produced by AMC and Universal. The character also briefly appeared in the spin-off Fear The Walking Dead and appears in the teaser trailer for new spin-off The Walking Dead: World Beyond.

The Rick Grimes movie was announced at last year's Comic-Con and will focus on what happens to the character following his helicopter rescue in his final appearance on the main series. It will be the first movie from The Walking Dead universe and will be a theatrical release. There are no further plot details, but Kirkman recently said that the script had been finalized, and production will begin once the coronavirus shutdown is over. Up until now, it was uncertain what role Kirkman would take on the movie, if any.

Now, in response to a fan question posed on the "Robert Kirkman at Home" panel as part of this year's San Diego Comic-Con@Home, Kirkman has confirmed he'll be heavily involved. The comic book artist says he is "very involved" in the movie, saying that he and the creative team, including Lincoln, are working very hard to produce something spectacular. He adds that anything else would be doing a "disservice" to the actor, the character and the fans. You can read his full comments on the movie below.


Kirkman's comments make it clear that the movie is at an advanced stage of planning, echoing what he said last week. It's also interesting to note that Kirkman seems to be as heavily involved in the movies as he has been with the TV series. Kirkman is famously protective of his creation, naturally so, and he's said in the past that Grimes was the character he cared most about in the comics, ending the comics run when the character died. So it only makes sense for him to ensure that Grimes is given the correct story conclusion on screen too.

As such, fans will be relieved to hear that Kirkman and the rest of the creative team are treating the Grimes movie seriously. From his comments, it's clear that they want to make the movie as good as it can be, and will likely be looking to up the stakes for the theatrical debut of the franchise. His cliffhanger ending on season 9 of The Walking Dead left Rick with a lot of unfinished business, and the character deserves a proper narrative conclusion. By the sounds of it, Kirkman at least is planning on giving him one.