The Walking Dead's Greg Nicotero says writers are currently working intensely on the Rick Grimes movie script, benefiting from the lockdown. The original show, based on the comic book series of the same name by Robert Kirkman and Tony Moore, first aired in 2010, and is now ending its tenth season. The popular dystopian series has a passionate fanbase, which has allowed the show to have multiple spin-offs, including Fear the Walking Dead and soon The Walking Dead: World Beyond. There are plans to launch a film franchise as well, starting with a trilogy of movies centered around the show's original star, Rick (Andrew Lincoln).
The Walking Dead begins with Rick waking up from a coma to find the world in chaos and zombies everywhere. He travels, looking for his family, and soon finds himself leading a group of survivors through plenty of horrors, human and otherwise. Near the beginning of season 9, Rick made the ultimate sacrifice to save his friends and family - or so they thought. Instead, Rick is rescued and taken away in a helicopter with a mysterious symbol, setting up his journey in the films.
According to an interview with Syfy Wire, Nicotero, a producer on The Walking Dead who has directed many episodes and will be directing the upcoming movie, believes that this quarantine has really helped the development of the first Rick-centered film. He says he spoke with The Walking Dead's chief creative officer, Scott Gimple, on the film's progress and "the script is well underway." Nicotero says that the current coronavirus situation has likely been beneficial for the writers, who are able to work well from home.
Nicotero also commented on the status of The Walking Dead's season 10 finale. They were very close to finishing production before shutdown, but the safety of the cast and crew caused them to stop before it could be finished. There is no official airdate for the season finale episode, but they hope to have it ready by the end of the year. The new spin-off, The Walking Dead: World Beyond, was originally intended to premiere in April, but has now been moved back to Fall 2020. Fear the Walking Dead's season 6 is also planned to air later this year.
Given the script isn't finished yet, the Rick-centered movie is very early in development, so it will be a while before its release. There is not much known about the plot, though many people think that Michonne (Danai Gurira) will appear, as she exited The Walking Dead in season 10 to search for Rick, but that is not yet not confirmed. Also, Rick and Michonne have a child together who Rick hasn't met yet, so it makes sense for that storyline to be addressed in the future. Given how many productions have been negatively impacted by COVID-19, the thought that this lockdown has benefited screenwriters is great to hear. Along with that, it proves that soon enough, we will be seeing The Walking Dead's Rick fighting zombies once again.
Source: Syfy Wire