The Walking Dead can fully return to what made the show initially great with the upcoming Rick Grimes spinoff movie. Andrew Lincoln portrayed the central protagonist for nine seasons of the TV adaptation based on Robert Kirkman's popular comic book series. The figure exited the series in the midst of season 9 when Lincoln expressed interest in departing from the role. Though he was presumed dead after a heroic sacrifice, Rick was taken away in a mysterious helicopter to an unknown location. His fate will eventually be revealed in a film featuring Lincoln reprising his famed role from The Walking Dead.
Despite the news of a Rick spinoff movie being announced during Lincoln's initial exit, AMC isn't rushing the project. In fact, veteran showrunner Scott M. Gimple announced plans for multiple movies set in the post-apocalyptic world at the center of The Walking Dead. As the project centered on Rick is slowly starting to take shape, exact plot details are being kept under wraps. That said, it's expected to feature a few familiar faces while tying in elements from Fear the Walking Dead and The Walking Dead: World Beyond. Kirkman is also heavily involved in the creation of the Rick movie.
Recently, Kirkman commented on the Rick Grimes movie while also discussing The Walking Dead ending with season 11. He mentioned how the movie would serve more as a solo story rather than an ensemble story, which has been the format of the TV series, especially in recent seasons. Kirkman also identified it as "a very different kind of Walking Dead story." Still, the comments play into the hope that the movie will welcome back elements of what made the series so appealing when it first debuted in 2010. A specific Walking Dead season 10 bonus episode brought back original elements, and that's something AMC could fully embrace with Rick's movie.
By presenting where Lincoln's character was taken following his helicopter rescue, the Walking Dead movie can create a Rick-centric tale. This allows the franchise to strip the narrative back, focusing on Rick's story and fight for survival as it did from the start. This approach is more akin to season 1, which originally appealed to viewers since it was more of a contained story. Rather than presenting an array of villains alongside the threat of walkers, the debut season had a contained cast of characters who were purely focused on survival. As time went on, the scope expanded, and Rick was just a piece of a much bigger puzzle.
While using an ensemble cast has had its bright spots, especially for the potential of subplots, that method tends to cause The Walking Dead to be convoluted at times. With the long list of characters and threats, it became difficult to keep track of everything at times. The series also had a habit of being formulaic, a common side effect for shows that encounter longer than average broadcast runs. By solely focusing on Rick to extend his original arc, the spinoff movie can avoid those pitfalls. Not only are viewers excited to see Lincoln back in the role of Rick, but they would also be happy to welcome the elements that made The Walking Dead so enjoyable in the early stages.