Yahoo News Walking Dead boss shoots down Old Man Rick fan theory
Warning: This article contains some spoilers about The Walking Dead season 8.
The biggest surprise from The Walking Dead's Comic-Con trailer for the coming season came at the end, which saw an older version of Rick Grimes lying in bed in what is most likely a flashforward.
The most common theory is that this scene, dubbed 'Old Man Rick', is tied to a time jump which takes place in the comics. But that wasn't the only idea fans had.
Some people believe that the scene shows Rick waking up from the coma he found himself in during the very first episode – and that the apocalypse was all a dream.
Related: The Walking Dead season 8 – everything you need to know
Not so fast.
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, showrunner Scott Gimple has stated that the dream theory is, quite simply, a load of rubbish.
"I can say that that is not him waking up from the coma in the hospital," Gimple said. "Some people thought that, and it's not that."
Indeed, it looks as though Old Man Rick is genuinely a time jump, as exec Greg Nicotero explained.
Related: What's next for The Walking Dead? Here's how season 8 could go down
"It's always fun to get a chance to think about where the show is going and where the characters are going," he said. "And that's a really big moment in the comic book when we sort of jump forward and realise what's in store for the future.
"So just to be able to give a little bit of a hint to that, I think it's exciting. It shows the audience that we're committed for this fantastic long-term storytelling and that Rick's got his shit together."
Andrew Lincoln, who plays Rick, added: "I mean, it's a grey Rick. It's an older Rick. So by virtue of the fact that you see that means that it's in the future."
The Old Man Rick scene will air in the season premiere, with answers coming around the time of the midseason finale.
If you want to know more about the time jump in the comics, you can read about it here.
The Walking Dead launches its eighth season on October 22 on AMC in the US. It will air on FOX in the UK.
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