'The Walking Dead’ Season 9 Air Date, Spoilers: Andrew Lincoln Leaves Show, Deaf Actress Lauren Ridloff Joins In

“The Walking Dead” season 9 premiere is around the corner and many things have changed in the show since last season. It was renewed in January and filming followed after a few months.

In May, TMZ reported that the cast returned to the set as they channeled their characters and started fighting with zombies. It was also revealed that Angela Kang has been promoted as “The Walking Dead” season 9 showrunner. Previously, she served as the show’s writer and co-executive producer.

With the upgrade, Angela is now the fourth showrunner that “TWD” has had. Similarly, Scott M. Gimple was elevated to the chief content officer position and will now be in charge of managing the entire "Walking Dead" TV series.

Returning Cast Members

In any case, after months of speculation, it is now confirmed that Andrew Lincoln (Rick Grimes) is leaving the show. "TWD’s" creator, Robert Kirkman, announced that the actor is departing from “The Walking Dead” in season 9.

Norman Reedus also seems to affirm that Andrew is making his exit when he uploaded a photo of them in a tight hug on Instagram. The caption is simply a heart emoticon, and based on the comments, even the fans understood this as saying farewell to Rick Grimes.

But then again, Andrew Lincoln may still appear in the first few episodes before he totally disappears from the story. During an IMDB interview, executive producer and comic creator Robert Kirkman was asked if the actor is really leaving, he replied, “It’s looking that way. It does make the differences between the comic and the show more pronounced.” He added, “But at the end of the day, it’s all about Andrew Lincoln.”

With Andrew Lincoln’s departure, Lauren Ridloff’s addition to the cast has been confirmed as well. As per Entertainment Weekly, the Tony-nominated deaf actress is coming to “The Walking Dead” season 9 in a “multi-episode arc” as Connie. Based on the description, she is a seasoned survivor who is very good at using her senses to figure out people, trouble and situations.

Spoilers: What to expect in Season 9?

In the short trailer that was released ahead of its full version, some signages labeled Oceanside, Alexandria, HQ and Sanctuary were shown and it could mean that works for the unity of these communities may have started.

Moreover, romance may be brewing for Jerry and there seems to be a new group called "Toledo," as seen in “The Walking Dead” Twitter account.

“The Walking Dead” season 9 is set to premiere in October but AMC has yet to announce the exact day.

Watch the trailer below: