Andrew Lincoln is leaving The Walking Dead, but that doesn’t mean that Norman Reedus is becoming the leading man of the show. Speaking at San Diego Comic-Con, the Daryl Dixon actor explained that he doesn’t see it that way.
Chatting to TV Line at SDCC, Reedus responded to the rumours that he’ll be stepping up to lead the show when Lincoln leaves. The Rick Grimes actor is set to leave during The Walking Dead season 9, and rumours flew around the web suggesting that Reedus was going to headline the show in his stead.
“I mean, that’s not happening”, Reedus told TV Line. “That’s an internet story that’s not true that somebody made up and they ran with it — some of those people can put something on social media and it turns into media outlet stories, which blows me away, but that’s not a true story. Rick is the quarterback of this football team, he’s always been, he always will be.”
“No one’s going to take over Rick’s place, that’s not happening,” Reedus added. And he stressed later on in the interview that “no one will be replaced, that’s not how the show rolls, really.”
Reedus also said this, teasing some interesting things for the season ahead:
“The story will evolve in ways where characters will rise and fall with what they have to do and how that works. It’s a very female-driven season, which is great. We’ve had a couple seasons of some chest-bumping going on, and girls don’t chest bump. This is a different vibe. It has the sensitivity and the grace but the ferociousness of a brand new show.”
We’ll bring you more news on The Walking Dead season 9 as we hear it.