Andrew Lincoln Teases Time Jump On The Walking Dead

While it feels like we need a time jump for the The Walking Dead to finally return this weekend, Andrew Lincoln is already looking ahead and teasing a time jump in the series' plot.

While time jumps have happened on the television series before, never have they been more than a few months which usually corresponded with how long the show was off air between seasons. However, fans of the comic book know that a two-year time jump takes place shortly after the All Out War storyline.

While talking about the group's desire to stay at Alexandria, Lincoln dropped the major hint about the show's future. "Rick's strength is seeing that we can fortify [Alexandria]," Lincoln tells EW. "A lot of these concerns and questions get answered relatively quickly in the first two or three episodes of this back eight. There is a time jump, I will say, at some point. And you will see why we stay in Alexandria."

Whether or not the time jump will be the same as it was in the comics is to be seen but if its timing parallels the comics, it is still quite a good distance away in terms of episodes. Spoilers for the comics are inbound, which could also mean for the show, as we break down things to come.

Prior to the comic book time jump, not only was Negan introduced, but Rick and Negan go to a long war over the course of 12 issues. A handful of characters are killed off during the war, we won't get into specifics, but somewhere in the time jump, Michonne banishes herself from the community.

Making an educated guess about when this time jump would actually arrive on television, one would have to say the midseason break of season seven or even between season seven and eight. The Negan/All Out War storyline is one which the showrunners will surely explore for the entirety of season seven and possibly even longer.

The Walking Dead returns February 14 at 9 PM ET on AMC.