Comic-Con 2018: Highlights from THE WALKING DEAD Season 9 Press Conference

The Walking Dead panel at Comic-Con is always a great event for fans of the show, but this year was bittersweet because it was the last time we’ll see Andrew Lincoln on stage with the cast. As most people know by now, it was revealed that Andrew Lincoln will be leaving The Walking Dead TV series in Season 9 and it was a major topic of discussion during the Hall H panel and press conference at San Diego Comic-Con last week. Here’s what Andrew Lincoln, Norman Reedus, Danai Gurira, and Angela Kang had to say about the new season and the last episodes featuring Rick Grimes:

Andrew Lincoln on if he’s sad to be leaving the show after 9 years:

“Well, I'll tell you what, at the end of the panel, it sort of hit me a little bit. I got kind of choked up, only to bring, it's been nine years I've come here, and I love this place and I love seeing the fans. And you (the press) have been such a vital part of this experience. But you know, as I said, my relationship with Mr. Grimes is far from over.”

Andrew Lincoln on working with Norman Reedus and the rest of the cast one last time:

“He is truly amazing, instinctive, brilliant actor. I came to America as a whirlwind actor, and he is like a whole new (actor), that I will never be. He's the Steve McQueen, and the work that he's doing this season, along with Danai (Gurira) and Jeffrey (Dean Morgan) and all the rest of them… it was brilliant. I got to do scenes with all of my favorite people this season, and as a farewell, it was the greatest present I could have gotten, particularly working with Norman was a real thrill."

Andrew Lincoln on wanting to keep his departure a mystery:

“Obviously, I would have loved not to have had to tell anybody that this was happening… but my friends that have a social media presence told me that the story was out a few months ago. We thought rather than speak to you guys (the press) first, we would speak to the fans and address them directly."

Andrew Lincoln on the show moving past Rick Grimes:

“…there was a sort of sense that the story has been a man waking up, and he experienced this world through this one man's eyes, and it opens up into the extended family.

Now, what's exciting for me is the fact that the narrative is being freed up. And it's already been freed up from the beginning of this season. You see the trailer, it's a different tone, it feels like a show that I've always felt we would head toward when we, back at the pilot. And so, yeah, in short, it was something that I started to think about as my children got older and less portable.”

New Showrunner Angela Kang on what to expect in The Walking Dead Season 9:

“Yeah, I think this season, there was some really exciting opportunities to feature this core cast that has such deep relationships that we've seen develop over the years, that the audience is really invested in and that we're invested in as storytellers. And there's this kind of instant emotional history, that we see any of these actors in a scene together.

This group has risen up as the leaders of these communities, and so a lot of the story we're talking about is, how do we rebuild civilization? Like how do you move on from a war? And so we're telling a lot of stories between these people because they are having differences of opinion, and they still love each other, as people have said, but how do you move forward when you really just fundamentally disagree about how things should happen? So yeah, we delved deeply into these core characters.

The scope of the show, the show is still huge, it's epic, and of course, we always try to tell great stories for all of our characters. We have an amazing ensemble, but you will see a lot more screen time for some of these relationships, like Daryl and Carol, and Rick and Maggie, and showing really interesting triangulations that you just want to dive deep into some of these relationships, because there's a lot of emotional weight to them."

Norman Reedus on what to expect from Daryl and Carol’s relationship in Season 9:

“Each of those characters are so similar. They go on a journey that's not about them physically. They arrived with each other, but it kind of goes down a rabbit hole into something else and it's a complicated story. One of the episodes has a really, sweet, heartfelt moment with them, and it's one of my favorite things we shot. Yeah, those two will forever have each others' backs.

I know we got a lot of heat in the beginning…. but I'm glad we played it real, and it's turned into a real relationship. And she's one of my best friends, and always there for me, and (Melissa McBride) she's an amazing actress, and super talented, and super honest, and you can't go wrong."

Danai Gurira on working with Andrew Lincoln:

“You know, this is the only show that I've worked on as a regular, I will say that I truly believe this is the best lead man on television. And I truly believe that he has made us all better. His leadership, his character, his discipline, his heart, his generosity, his kindness, have really paved a path for all of us to understand how to carry on without him.

It's been a true joy to explore as my character grows, she grows basically in connection with him, really the second she meets him. And you know, seems to ask a bunch because she sees the goodness, and the strength, and the power of this man….

We were able to find moments that we hadn't really been able to explore before. And so, that I'm excited for you all to see that. And you know, it's all heart-breaking, as one thinks it always is. This is a special type of heart-break. I think the biggest yet. But it's been an honor, sir.”

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Stay tuned to Daily Dead in the coming months for more updates on the ninth season of The Walking Dead, premiering Sunday, October 7th on AMC.