If you had asked someone in 2010 whether the Walking Dead franchise would still be running in 2026, they probably would have said "No". It's not that the saga wasn't popular - once upon a time it was among the most popular TV shows in the world - it's that 16 years of programming is a tall task. But AMC's TWD Universe pulled it off, with The Walking Dead itself running for most of those years.
The sequel spinoffs era has kept the lights on in the franchise, as ongoing shows Daryl Dixon and Dead City, along with the one-season miniseries The Ones Who Live, have thrilled audiences with new adventures set in this legendary shared universe; some wrapping stories up and others starting completely new ones. But the era might be coming to a close with Daryl's conclusion on the horizon and The Ones Who Live having already ended two years ago.
That said, before it does all wrap up, fans are calling for one more return. And it sounds like it might actually happen.
Rick Grimes' return to the TWD Universe seems like a foregone conclusion now
At this point, it seems like Andrew Lincoln will reprise his role as Rick Grimes at least one more time before the TWD Universe comes to an end. Although the Rick and Michonne miniseries, The Ones Who Live, wrapped up the pair's arc by taking them back to Alexandria, fans have been asking for one more spinoff, focused on reuniting the duo with the rest of the classic TWD characters, specifically Daryl Dixon's Daryl and Carol, and Dead City's Maggie and Negan. And let's not forget about Morgan, too.
The idea sounds ambitious, but it might not be as outlandish as you think. See, after years of rumors about a reunion crossover, Walking Dead director Greg Nicotero confirmed that there have been talks about that over the past few years. Furthermore, Andrew Lincoln confirmed as recently as last year that he is currently in talks about returning as Rick - something he said he would only ever consider if the story was strong enough to reel him back in. A potential goodbye to the franchise might just do that.
But the teases go way beyond the past few months. In fact, last March The Direct conducted an interview with AMC's Chief Content Officer of The Walking Dead Universe, Scott M. Gimple, and spoke to him about the potential of a second season for The Ones Who Live a year after the show had ended. Gimple reiterated that the plan for that spinoff was always "to keep it limited", but he did add a tease about the characters returning down the line:
"I mean the plan was to keep it limited. Not necessarily never to see those characters again, but to keep it limited. But I always say, you never know."
That revelation kind of flew under the radar as we were more focused on what Gimple was saying about The Ones Who Live season 2 that we didn't stop to look at the rest of the sentence. By removing the "limited" blanket from the characters themselves, that likely suggests that there is a TWD Universe out there where Rick and Michonne could return again, showing us how they got accustomed to life in Alexandria - and each other - all over again.
We know now that this won't happen in The Ones Who Live season 2. That show was designed to tell one very specific story about two lovers finding their way back to each other, and eventually guiding themselves home. It did all of that in six episodes (and allowed Rick and Michonne to defeat the Civic Republic Military). If they were to return again, it would have to be in an entirely new project. And that's where this long-rumored crossover reunion could come into play.
For years, there have been rumblings of this Avengers: Endgame-style spinoff that would effectively serve as a season 12, bringing the stars of the spinoffs back together to conclude the new spinoffs era that has kept the TWD Universe going for the past four years. While the franchise could easily carry on for the years to come after that, at some point in time, the original characters might have o be rested. If that's the case, that's where this reunion season would serve its purpose, giving the fans what they want, bringing Rick and Michonne back, and bringing the biggest, most famous chapter of The Walking Dead franchise to a close.
Gimple has teased the possibility on multiple occasions without ever addressing whether it had been discussed as a legitimate idea by the TWD team at AMC. Nicotero's recent comments, however, do suggest that it has come up as a subject of conversation at some point, and that revelation could well be the evidence that fans have been waiting for.
With the potential end of the TWD Universe on the horizon and Andrew Lincoln's recent comments still on our minds, it does seem like this long-rumored spinoff could be about to become a reality. It would, after all, be the perfect way to wrap up this legendary franchise, doing what the series finale of The Walking Dead couldn't do and wrapping all of the stories up.