Fans of the Walking Dead comic series were left stunned when it came to a surprise conclusion in July, with its 193rd issue serving as a (previously unannounced) finale.

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The final issues saw the death of series lead Rick Grimes, before flashing forward to explore the fate of his now-adult son Carl.

There appears to be no immediate end in sight for the TV version of The Walking Dead, which was recently renewed for an 11th season. But franchise boss Scott Gimple did reflect on the show's eventual ending in a new interview with Deadline, revealing an interesting tidbit.

"The biggest thing is we will tell that finale story one day," Gimple said. "Honouring the aspects of [the broader] finale story without the death of Rick Grimes will be a challenge to our storytelling."

Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes in The Walking Dead
Gene Page/AMC

Andrew Lincoln played Rick Grimes on The Walking Dead from its first episode in 2010 until he exited the show last year.

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However, Rick was not killed off – with the character set to appear in a new series of spin-off movies.

Given Rick's survival, Walking Dead fans might have expected that Lincoln might return to the show one day, potentially even appearing in the show's final episodes to play out Rick's death from the comics – but according to Gimple, that won't be the case.

But will The Walking Dead really wrap up without one last appearance from Rick Grimes? Or was Gimple just playing his cards close to his chest? It may be a few years yet till we find out...

Watch The Walking Dead seasons 1-9 with a NOW TV free trial

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The Walking Dead airs Mondays at 9pm on FOX in the UK.

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