‘The Walking Dead’: Greg Nicotero and Scott M. Gimple Reveal the Timing on That Old Man Rick Twist
Finally! We are just one month away from brand new episodes of The Walking Dead returning to television and honestly, we can’t wait!
There is so much to look forward to in season 8 and so many questions that we can’t wait to have answered! One of the most talked about moments from the season 8 Comic-Con is that shocking twist ending which shows a blurry, dream-like sequence showing a comfortable and clean looking bedroom, a cane and Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) waking from what appeared to be a deep sleep. His face had aged significantly and his hair and glorious beard were no longer dark brown but gray which clearly showed that a significant amount of time had passed. But where, exactly, does this fit into the current timeline of the series? In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, we finally have some answers (albeit cryptic answers) as to what we can expect from the Old Man Rick scene.
First, fans will be relieved to know that this is NOT Rick waking up from his coma from season 1. Phew! Thank goodness for that! Showrunner Scott M. Gimple assures fans:
“I can say that that is not him waking up from the coma in the hospital. Some people thought that, and it’s not that.”
Fans of the comics have been speculating that this may be a time jump which occurs after the all-out war story arch is completed. Andrew Lincoln himself seemed to confirm this future Rick theory when he said, “I mean, it’s a gray Rick. It’s an older Rick. So by virtue of the fact that you see, that means that it’s in the future.” Gimple seems to be echoing the confirmation of this theory. He told EW:
“It’s always fun to get a chance to think about where the show is going and where the characters are going. And that’s a really big moment in the comic book when we sort of jump forward and realize what’s in store for the future. So to just to be able to give a little bit of a hint to that, I think it’s exciting. It shows the audience that we’re committed for this fantastic long-term storytelling and that Rick’s got his sh– together.”
Executive producer Greg Nicotero also confirmed that this won’t be the only time we’ll see Old Man Rick appear on screen, “it’s definitely not a one-time thing,” he says. Gimple took that comment one step further saying this will be a multi-episode storyline. He said:
“I will say that we won’t know exactly what that’s about after the first episode. But we will know it about halfway through the season. We won’t quite know what it’s about, and then we’ll get an answer to that about halfway through. It’s something that’s going to play out.”
We can’t wait to see how this surprising time jump plays out!
The Walking Dead will return for their 8th season and the series’ 100th episode on Sunday, October 22 at 9 pm EST on AMC. Are you ready for war?
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A karaoke obsessed, craft beer enthusiast and lover of all things pop culture, Denise enjoys all facets of entertainment from Broadway to box office blockbusters. In her spare time, she enjoys photography, concerts (lots and lots of concerts), volunteering, reading and playing with her rescue kitten, Samantha (who rescued who, right?).
