'The Walking Dead' Addresses Status Of The Rick And Carl Tapes From Alexandria

The Walking Dead could bring Rick and Carl back to the show in flashbacks of sorts by playing their Alexandria interview tapes but it doesn't seem to be in the plans.

It seems both Rick and Carl are truly gone for good, at least for now, according to Skybound's The Walking Dead Mailbag. When a fan asked if there is a chance of seeing either Grimes family member on the AMC series in the form of their recorded interviews with Deanna Monroe from when they first arrived in Alexandria, the possibility was ruled out, for now. "Unfortunately they're currently MIA," Skybound's Johnny O'Dell said. "Not necessarily lost forever, but don't expect to see them again anytime soon."

Neither Andrew Lincoln nor Chandler Riggs (Rick and Carl, respectively) are expected to appear on The Walking Dead again. In fact, Lincoln has made it abundantly clear several times that his time on the AMC series is over. His future includes a trilogy of movies and return to the TV show seems out of the question.

The movies will air on AMC but have not yet begun production so a premiere date remains unknown. There is a possibility the movies could head to theaters for a special event, similar to what The Walking Dead and Fear the Walking Dead crossover episodes did back in April. No plans or details have been made public, yet.

Lincoln, however, has offered up small bits of information regarding what fans can expect from the films. "We talked about Unforgiven, the Clint Eastwood movie, which I admire greatly," Lincoln told New York Time. "There's something about Eastwood, who he is as a gunslinger, as an iconic kind of American hero, rolling around in pig swill at the beginning of the movie. You know what he's capable of, and I thought the idea of a character that the audience knows and has lived with — and who has oscillated between psycho and father for nine years — to start in a completely different place, was a really interesting, crazy place to begin. I want to know why we keep seeing helicopters flying around. What's going on? What have the grown-ups been doing while we've been scrambling around in the dirt?"

The Walking Dead returns for the back half of its ninth season on February 10, 2019 at 9 pm ET. Fear the Walking Dead will return for its fifth season in 2019. For complete coverage and insider info all year long, follow @BrandonDavisBD on Twitter and watch ComicBook.com's After The Dead each Sunday night following new episodes.