'The Walking Dead' Showrunner Debunks Popular Rick Theory

09/10/2017 08:28 pm EDT

During The Walking Dead Preview Special on AMC on Sunday, showrunner Scott Gimple calmed some fan nerves about the twist in the show's Season 8 trailer.

Immediately after host Chris Hardwick pointed out that fans are suspecting Rick Grimes of awakening from his coma in the final moments of the Season 8 trailer, making the events of the 99 Walking Dead episodes a dream sequence which never happened, Gimple ruled out such a scenario.

"He is not waking up from the coma," Gimple said. "Robert [Kirkman]'s dad saw the trailer and said, 'People are gonna think he's waking up from the coma.'" Still, Gimple wasn't convinced this would happen, but after San Diego Comic Con, the overwhelming response to the trailer suspected the coma theory to be true.

"No coma," Gimple reiterated. "It's not a coma."

After Gimple debunked the theory, Hardwick teased The Walking Dead comic book fans may have a good idea of what is going on when Rick is seen with his grey beard and short hair.

"I encourage that guess!" Gimple said.

Previously, The Walking Dead's writer and creator Robert Kirkman has promised the scene will be unveiled in the Season 8 premiere but Gimple has teased it will not be fully explained or fully understood in the returning episode.

The Walking Dead's sibling series Fear the Walking Dead returns September 10th. The Walking Dead will return for its eighth season on October 22, 2017. The Season Eight premiere will mark 100 episodes overall for the popular AMC series. For complete coverage and insider info all season long, follow @BrandonDavisBD on Twitter.

Disclosure: ComicBook is owned by CBS Interactive, a division of Paramount. Sign up for Paramount+ by clicking here.