“The Walking Dead” season 7 didn’t go as well as Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) hoped. The Saviours’ leader now looks ahead to the upcoming All Out War in season 8 to finish off the Alexandrians. Unfortunately for Negan, Rick has had enough and is now ready to do what needs to be done to take down the bat-wielding antagonist.

Spoiler alert: This article contains plot details about “The Walking Dead” season 8, which will premiere in October. Australian viewers will be available to watch the new season on Foxtel.

Alexandria lost Abraham (Michael Cudlitz) and Glenn (Steven Yeun) during last season’s premiere episode. It sent shockwaves down the collective spines of its residents, and none took it harder than Rick. The body count didn’t stop there, of course, and Sasha’s (Sonequa Martin-Green) sacrifice culminated the season.

According to showrunner Scott Gimple, Rick is ready to “suffer any loss, even his own self,” to liberate his people from the clutches of Negan. A one man regime doesn’t cut it for Rick. For Alexandria’s leader, it’s the only choice, and he’s ready to take the losses.

This doesn’t mean that he has gone numb, though. It’s not like he’s going to be unaffected if more allies and loved ones are killed. But he knows that sacrifices are needed to get the job done against Negan.

“It isn’t that he’s willing to shake them off if they were to occur, or immediately rationalise them away,” Gimple tells TVLine. “But he understands the enormity of what they are doing and the enormity of the possible cost.”

The whole season 7 was a roller coaster of emotions for Rick. Andrew Lincoln, the actor who portrays the Alexandrian leader in the AMC series, had to push himself to showcase his character’s different sentiments.

“This has been one of the more unpleasant aspects of his psyche, this submissive version, but certainly the first eight would be not a pleasant experience,” Lincoln tells Comic Book. “But it was a great challenge – a good acting challenge. And certainly I enjoyed having a bit more bite, bit more grit in my belly, sharing scenes with Jeffrey Dean Morgan.”

The actor is excited that his character is finally pushing back next season instead of backing down from the bad guy. Lincoln anticipates “it’s going to be a lot more fun” filming “The Walking Dead” season 8, which returns in October. The new season’s trailer is likely to premiere in July at San Diego Comic Con.

RELATED STORIES:

‘The Walking Dead’ season 7 finale: Sasha’s sacrifice was more than worth it

‘The Walking Dead’ season 7, episode 16: Showrunner compares finale to a roller coaster ride