Spin-off “The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live” starring Andrew Lincoln
Gene Page/AMC
[This story contains major spoilers from The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live series premiere.]
There are some iconic moments every time the walking dead Fans know this from the beginning. Like the prison collapse and Negan’s arrival via bloody baseball bat. But those who only watch the AMC TV series or have never read Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard’s comic books are missing out on one of comics’ biggest milestones: Rick Grimes During my first meeting with him I had my hand amputated and lost it. Governor.
Recently, even in the live-action version, the walking dead Universe, the Governor is long gone. Well, finally, so did Rick’s hands.
In the first few minutes of The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live, Andrew Lincoln makes a triumphant return as Rick Grimes, who was last seen supposedly killed in action (but actually alive, if not better) in a helicopter bound for the unknown. ). What is Rick’s first action on screen since his brief cameo in the flagship store? the walking dead Finale? It goes without saying that the fact that he cut off his own hand in a moment of despair is a huge nod to manga fans.
Not only does Lincoln co-star with Danai Gurira as Michonne, but (if you’ll excuse the poor choice of words) the two are actually executive producers. Early on in discussions with franchise architect Scott M. Gimple about how to continue Rick and Michonne’s story, they called for taking Rick’s hands off the table.
“I’ve been talking about this for years,” Lincoln says. hollywood reporter. “I tried to cut off your hand!”
Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes the walking dead.
Jackson Lee Davis/AMC
The series takes place several years after Rick’s release from prison. the walking dead (pictured above), the former leader of Alexandria now serves as a reluctant soldier in one of the last bastions of human civilization, the Civic Republic Military (CRM). He has one problem. CRM is a little evil. They have no qualms about destroying innocent people if it means protecting the secrets of a society they hope to cultivate and grow for future generations of humanity.
Early in the premiere, viewers catch up with Rick just after his forced service begins, where he attempts to walk out in the middle of surgery. Unfortunately, his hand is tethered to a tracking device and the only way for him to escape is to get rid of that device, which means to get rid of his hand…so he does just that and tries to get rid of his own hand. They cut it off and cauterized his wounds. In a burning zombie cavity, largely Escape — but not completely.
“When we sat down two years ago, we talked about, ‘What do we need to do to get this right?'” Lincoln says. Danai correctly said that there were two people who left the mothership looking for each other. If you were to go back, what would you like to see? ”
For his part, Lincoln had wanted to get rid of Rick years ago. If the AMC series had been more faithful to the source material, that would have happened in season 3, when Rick meets David Morrissey’s Governor for the first time. Robert Kirkman has said in the past that he regrets cutting off Rick’s hand in the comics, but the original story only lasted six episodes. those who live Lincoln and Gurira felt it was finally time to go through with it.
“This isn’t just a nod; it’s a nod to the story,” says Lincoln. “That’s what Kirkman did. It’s the nature of this world that we live in. These people are not superheroes. They’re put in extreme situations and they have to fight to survive and help the people around them. These are people who do horrible things, sometimes wonderful things, sometimes horrible things, to keep their lives alive. So I really wanted to do this, and hopefully people would sit back and say, “Oh, here’s a little adventure.” I wanted to create a very shocking first act that would make people think, This is different. There is real danger here. ”
But even leading up to the big choice, there were some questions on set about whether it would be wise to go through with Rick’s actions. In fact, Lincoln passed by one of his closest friends. love actually alum Bill Nye. (“I’m not a scientist,” Lincoln was quick to point out.) “I said to him, ‘What do you think about me letting go?'” He said, “That’s a great idea! “said. He did it in the comics!And I said, “It’s in the first episode,” and he said, “Okay, it’s in the first episode.” terrible idea. ‘”
To prepare for the actual location, Lincoln and his friends filmed on a freezing cold night, but the first part of the shoot was grueling, absurd and lacking in interesting ideas. “‘If you’re half a method actor pretending to be yourself and half a producer, you might as well do it for real. It’ll save you a lot of time,'” Lincoln said. But jokes aside, there were serious doubts until his on-screen partner and fellow executive producer Gurira stepped in to check the facts.
“This is Rick Grimes,” Gurira says. THR. “He’s been gone for eight, nine years. We know he’s a do-it-all guy, all, to return to his family. This is actually the clearest, character-specific justification for why he hasn’t done it yet. It really brings the audience back to Rick. This is what he does to get back at Michonne. This is what he will do to return to his family. ”
Danai Gurira spinoff The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live
Gene Page/AMC
After having a final discussion with Gurira, Lincoln felt that his last-minute doubts quickly disappeared. “It’s very character-driven,” he says. “It justifies the time to break up. It’s an emotional decision. It’s not about [shock], it’s about the mind and what you’re trying to get back to. ”
So what is life like for Rick, who only has one hand? First, he has a fancy new prosthetic leg that’s highly militarized by the CRM, so Rick’s action scenes aren’t just okay; Further improvements are possible. (“I don’t want to spoil anything, but there are scenes after this in other episodes…no, we can’t do that,” Lincoln teases about what to expect from Rick’s newly severed limb.)
What’s more, much of the series takes place several years after Rick’s drastic action, and he’s become much more deeply embedded in the CRM than he, or perhaps the audience, expected. No matter what happens on the other side of Michonne’s reunion, at least the actors have no regrets about paying homage to one of them. the walking dead Comics’ most iconic moments.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Kirkman,” Gurira says. “But I actually think it was better than the comic book!”
The season consists of 6 episodes, The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live New episodes will be released on Sundays at 9pm on AMC and AMC+. To review the story of Rick and Michonne, go here.
