Andrew Lincoln, star of AMC’s smash hit The Walking Dead, confirmed at San Diego Comic-Con on Friday that the series’ ninth season would be his last.
“This will be my last season playing the part of Rick Grimes,” Lincoln said, according to Variety. “I love this show. It means everything to me. I love the people who make this show.”
Grimes is still at the center of all the action in the above five-minute-plus trailer, which finds Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) in jail, and the survivors trying to make a go of it as a community.
After appearing on a panel in the Con’s famed Hall H, co-star Norman Reedus, now in line to headline the long-running zombie fest, led the crowd in giving Lincoln a standing ovation.
Also leaving the show this season, although in possibly a less permanent way is Lauren Cohan, who plays Maggie. Cohan is departing to star in ABC’s Whiskey Cavalier after a publicized salary dispute with AMC.
Joining the cast in season nine is Samantha Morton, who will play Alpha, leader of The Whisperers.
Season nine of The Walking Dead premieres Sunday, Oct. 7, at 9/8 c on AMC.
[Images courtesy of AMC]