Andrew Lincoln departs THE WALKING DEAD

Shock news overnight as Collider has learnt that Andrew Lincoln is leaving The Walking Dead. The actor, who many would argue has anchored the show from its pilot, will only appear in the first six episodes of season 9.

If rumours are to be believed Lincoln is leaving of his own choice. With Rick set to leave the series this means the show will need to take another huge divergence from the comic books. Rumours continue to circulate that Lauren Cohan will also be exiting the series due to commitments on her new pilot.

Collider is reporting that Norman Reedus (Daryl) is being offered a substantial pay rise to take over as the series lead.

The Walking Dead stars Andrew Lincoln, Norman Reedus, Lauren Cohan, Chandler Riggs, Danai Gurira, Melissa McBride, Lennie James, Alanna Masterson, Josh McDermitt, Christian Serratos, Seth Gilliam, Ross Marquand, Austin Amelio, Tom Payne, Xander Berkeley, Khary Payton, and Jeffrey Dean Morgan.

The show airs on AMC in the states and here on FOX UK.

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