The nefarious CRM, or Civic Republic Military, at the center of The Walking Dead: World Beyond will challenge Rick Grimes in his upcoming films. When Robert Kirkman's The Walking Dead first hit the small screen in 2010, Andrew Lincoln's Rick Grimes was the undisputed lead character. That's why fans were shocked when Lincoln decided to depart the zombie series in season 9, even as the show continued on without him. However, softening this blow was the announcement that Rick (and Lincoln, of course) would return to the world of The Walking Dead in a trio of feature films, all of which are headed to theaters sometime in the future.
Ever since that news, fans have wondered about where these long-awaited movies will find Rick. Very little is known at this time, but it seems certain that the Civic Republic will play a large role in Rick's future. Rick was last seen on The Walking Dead being carted away in one of CRM's helicopters after sustaining a nasty injury. The Civic Republic has also been featured on Fear the Walking Dead, but up until the premiere of World Beyond, much of this organization remained a mystery. Luckily, the newest Walking Dead spin-off has already begun to shed more light on the Civic Republic and their motivations.
During World Beyond's New York Comic-Con panel, Walking Dead franchise architect Scott Gimple gave some hints about Rick's upcoming struggles against the Civic Republic. Unsurprisingly, Gimple was a bit vague about the obstacles that lie ahead for everyone's favorite sheriff's deputy, but he did hint that Rick will find himself challenged in a big way by CRM. Gimple explained:
This show obviously serves as an introduction to the organization, civilization that Rick has gotten somehow tied up in in some way. Do we need to worry about him? I don’t know, Rick Grimes kind of takes care of himself. He’s pretty good at that sort of thing. But it does look like his situation is going to be challenged in some pronounced way. That I will say.
Though World Beyond has only aired one episode at the time of this writing, fans have already learned a lot more about the Civic Republic. Comprised of a three-way alliance of surviving colonies, the aim of CRM seems to be finding a cure to the zombie virus. However, as shown in World Beyond's series premiere, the Civic Republic isn't above resorting to violence. Rick is definitely caught up within the Civic Republic somehow, though it isn't clear if he's a prisoner or merely trying to take them down. The Walking Dead movies will definitely reveal this.
Sadly, though, it's taking a bit longer than expected to get the Rick Grimes movies going. Progress has been slow, though Kirkman promised in July that things are going well behind the scenes. They're still in progress, and Kirkman insisted more information will be revealed when things slow down. For now, this little tease about Rick's obstacles will be all fans have to go on as they await more concrete information about the Walking Dead films.
Source: NYCC