LOS ANGELES, CA - SEPTEMBER 27: Andrew Lincoln arrives at the Premiere Of AMC's 'The Walking Dead' Season 9 at the DGA Theater on September 27, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jerod Harris/Getty Images)

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Andrew Lincoln signs onto his first major project following his departure from The Walking Dead, and it offers a few hints about the Rick Grimes movies.

The Walking Dead fans have been eager to see Andrew Lincoln return to the fold as soon as he left the show in season 9. There had been speculation that Lincoln would return in season 10 as a director, in addition to the news that Rick Grimes’ story would continue in a trilogy of movies. Now, as Lincoln signs on to a new movie project, we can speculate how the timeline for those original movies might play out.

According to Variety, Lincoln has been cast in the upcoming feature film Penguin Bloom, appearing opposite Naomi Watts. The story follows a family grappling with their new reality following a tragic accident, and an orphaned bird that helps them on their journey. Lincoln will play Watts’ husband in the story.

So how does this news relate to the Rick Grimes trilogy?

Given that this project marks Lincoln’s first foray outside of The Walking Dead since his departure, it means that it’s highly likely that he won’t start production on the Rick Grimes movies until he’s done with Penguin Bloom. Principal filming on movies usually lasts about 8 weeks or so, depending on the kind of movie and the size of the role, so that means that if they started filming right away Lincoln wouldn’t be available for The Walking Dead movies until later this year.

Now that Universal has partnered with AMC to release the Rick Grimes trilogy in movie theaters, the pressure is on to deliver movies that will be satisfying to existing fans while also luring in new fans. Care must be taken, then, to ensure that the scripts will be perfect. Perhaps this role in Penguin Bloom will allow for further development on the scripts so that everything is ready to go as soon as Lincoln is available.

Details about The Walking Dead trilogy of movies have so far been scarce, but Lincoln’s new project suggests that production won’t begin for a while. Then again, it’s possible that Lincoln has been secretly working on the first movie and he’s filming Penguin Bloom now that he’s done.

Fans will know more when filming begins for Penguin Bloom. Until then, the TWD Family must stand by for more news from AMC.