A teaser trailer for The Walking Dead’s first movie promises Andrew Lincoln’s return as Rick Grimes will only be available in theaters. The long-standing and unquestioned lead of the hit AMC TV series, Lincoln was the face of The Walking Dead for nearly a decade. He became synonymous with the show and in his role as their fearless leader in the post-apocalyptic landscape, which is why many were surprised to learn he was leaving the show behind after nine seasons.
The announcement that Lincoln and – as a result, Rick Grimes – would no longer be part of The Walking Dead was quickly easier to take, though. It was revealed that he would star in the first The Walking Dead movie that was part of the plans to expand the brand’s reach with new platforms. Now, we know that this refers to theaters too.
One final surprise to come from The Walking Dead’s panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2019 was the reveal of an announcement teaser trailer for The Walking Dead movie. There’s no actual footage shown in the trailer released by Skybound, but it does confirm that this next chapter in Rick Grimes’ story will only be seen in theaters.
The trailer is short on details of what The Walking Dead movie will look like, but the helicopter will be a familiar sight for fans of the show and Rick Grimes. After being near death, Rick was rescued by Jadis (Pollyanna McIntosh) and her community’s helicopter. This unspecified city skyline is likely their destination, with the three-ring symbol of the group that is interested in either “A” or “B” people. Rick has been identified as a “B,” and The Walking Dead franchise’s chief content officer Scott M. Gimple teased that the first movie is about Rick dealing with this new group.
What is most surprising about this trailer, though, is the confirmation that this will be something only available in theaters. The Walking Dead has built up a massive following on TV, so AMC, Skybound, and Universal (who will distribute the movie) are going to see just how much fans are willing to pay for more of Rick Grimes. The hope is that the return on investment will be substantial, as the plan when it was initially announced was for three Rick Grimes-centric The Walking Dead movies. If that ambitious plan is going to be met, it will need this first The Walking Dead film to be a hit. Otherwise, future films could become AMC original movies instead, which some fans may actually prefer.
