The Walking Dead Star Says Rick Grimes Movies Won’t Be Cancelled Despite Delays

The Walking Dead star Pollyanna McIntosh, who reprises her role from the television series alongside Andrew Lincoln‘s Rick Grimes in the franchise’s first feature film, says she would be “very surprised” if the theatrical releases don’t move forward as planned despite a lengthy development process most recently slowed by coronavirus. Screenwriter and Walking Dead chief content officer Scott Gimple first confirmed work on a film trilogy in the wake of Lincoln’s ninth season exit from the television series, where Rick and Anne disappeared aboard a mysterious helicopter, but updates on their next adventure have been few and far between since the features were unveiled by Gimple live on Talking Dead in November 2018.

“I’ve had conversations with [Gimple and Walking Dead showrunner Angela Kang] about work, but mostly it’s been about when the show’s gonna get back on and how those plans are going,” McIntosh told the Talk Dead to Me podcast about the long-delayed Season 10 finale now airing in October and a postponed Season 11 shooting start. “Because I think that’s probably what’s most present in their mind at the moment, because they’ve got the responsibility of a huge cast and crew that they love, and trying to figure out how to make it safe for them shooting the show.”

“The films I know will happen,” McIntosh said, but “a series is probably a lot more at the forefront of their priorities right now.”

In addition to an eleventh season expected to begin production early next year for a late 2021 TV premiere, the Walking Dead cast will return to work in coming months for six “extra” Season 10 episodes to follow the season finale. Kang oversees that realm while Gimple continues to work on the untitled Walking Dead Movie screenplay.

“I know they want to get the script absolutely watertight as well, and it’ll be when it’ll be,” McIntosh added of the film project teaming Gimple with Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman. “I’m the same as the fans, I want it to happen like now.”

Asked to confirm the film trilogy will happen, McIntosh answered, “It’s very hard to say. Not just out of respect for the secrets that the show keeps, but also, just life at the moment.”

“We just don’t know what’s what, do we? Films that I’ve been attached to for a while, I was told at the beginning of this pandemic, ‘Don’t worry, we’ve got the funding, so we’re definitely going to do them, but they’ll probably happen at later months.’ So I knew even then, ‘They’re not going to happen,’” the actress said. “Things change as we go along. But these films, the Walking Dead films? How could you not? They can’t just not do them. It’s been too much of a work in progress, and it’s too exciting to too many people, and especially to Andy.”

Lincoln is “thrilled” at the prospect of reprising his Rick Grimes role in a film, McIntosh added. “Andy is committed to this character and to finishing this story. So I would be very surprised if they don’t happen.”

Walking Dead executive producer David Alpert recently confirmed the film intends to shoot as soon as it’s safe to do so.

In the latest update provided to ComicBook.com during virtual Comic-Con weekend, Gimple remarked Lincoln is “super involved” with the making of the Logan-styled movie and the star is “itching to get back” to the Walking Dead Universe.

For all things TWD, follow the author @CameronBonomolo on Twitter.