Every Walking Dead fan knows some
iconic moments, like the fall of the prison or Negan's arrival with his bloody
baseball bat. But for those who only watch the AMC TV series and haven't read
the comics by Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard, they missed out on one of the
comics' biggest milestones: Rick Grimes losing his hand, which was cleaved off
during his first meeting with The Governor.
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| Andrew Lincoln in spinoff 'The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live' GENE PAGE/AMC |
These days, the Governor is no longer part of the live-action Walking Dead universe. Rick's hand is also gone now.
In The Walking Dead: The Ones Who
Live, Andrew Lincoln returns as Rick Grimes. Rick was last seen in a helicopter
heading towards the unknown, presumed dead but actually alive. In his first
on-screen appearance since a brief cameo in the flagship Walking Dead finale,
Rick cuts off his own hand. This moment is both desperate and a nod to comic
book fans.
Lincoln stars alongside Danai
Gurira as Michonne. They are also executive producers. In discussions with
Scott M. Gimple about continuing Rick and Michonne's story, they decided to
have Rick lose his hand.
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| Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes in The Walking Dead. JACKSON LEE DAVIS/AMC |
"I've been talking about this for years," Lincoln says. "I've been trying to get my hand chopped off!"
The series is set years after Rick
left The Walking Dead. He is now with the Civic Republic Military (CRM), a
group preserving human civilization. The problem is, the CRM can be ruthless.
They are willing to harm innocent people to protect their society's secrets,
which they want to pass on to future generations.
In the premiere, viewers find Rick
as a reluctant soldier for the CRM. He tries to escape during an operation but
is tracked by a device on his hand. To escape, he cuts off his hand and
cauterizes the wound in a flaming zombie, almost escaping but not quite.
"When we sat down two years ago," Lincoln recalls, "we talked about how to do this right. Danai pointed out that these two characters left the main show to find each other. So, if we're coming back, what should we show?"
Lincoln had wanted to remove Rick's
hand years ago. In the AMC series, this would have happened in season three,
during Rick's first meeting with the Governor. Robert Kirkman has said he
regrets cutting off Rick's hand in the comics. However, with only six episodes
of The Ones Who Live planned and no guaranteed future, Lincoln and Gurira felt
it was finally time to do it.
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| Rick Grimes in the comics. |
"This is more than just a nod. It's honoring the story," Lincoln explains. "It's what Kirkman did. It's the nature of the world we're in. These people aren't superheroes. They're regular people in extreme situations, doing both brilliant and horrific things to survive and protect others. I was eager to do this, to have a shocking first act that sets the tone for what's to come."
Before making the big choice, there
were doubts on set about Rick losing his hand. Lincoln even consulted his
friend Bill Nighy. "I asked him,
'What do you think about me losing my hand?' He said, 'That's a great idea! He
did it in the comics!' Then I told him it's in the first episode, and he said, 'Okay,
that's a terrible idea.'"
During the lead-up to the scene,
Lincoln and the crew were filming in freezing cold conditions, facing a tough
start to shooting where no idea seemed too outlandish. Lincoln recalls, "If you're half the method actor you pretend
you are, and half the producer, you might do it for real, it saves a lot of
time." However, jokes aside, there were serious doubts until Gurira
stepped in.
Gurira reminded everyone, "This is Rick Grimes. He's been gone for eight or nine years. We know him as someone who would do anything to get back to his family. This is the most clear, character-specific justification for why he hasn't done it yet. It really connects the audience back to Rick. This is what he would do to get back to Michonne. This is what he would do to get back to his family.”
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| Danai Gurira in spinoff The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live GENE PAGE/AMC |
After discussing it with Gurira, any last-minute doubts Lincoln had quickly disappeared. He says, "It's so character-driven. It justifies the time apart. It's an emotional decision. It's not about shock; it's about heart and trying to return."
With only one hand, Rick now has a
high-tech prosthesis provided by the CRM, enhancing his action scenes. Lincoln
teases, "I don't want to spoil
anything, but there's a moment later on in the other episodes... no, I can't,"
about what to expect from Rick's new limb.
The series mostly takes place years
after Rick's drastic action, and he's more involved with the CRM than he or the
audience expects. Whatever happens after his reunion with Michonne, the actors
have no regrets about honoring one of the Walking Dead comic book's most iconic
moments.
"Forgive me, Mr. Kirkman," says Gurira, "but I actually think this was better than
the comic books!"
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