Will The Walking Dead: World Beyond include a Rick Grimes cameo?

The Walking Dead: World Beyond will bring a new set of characters to the forefront of the zombie apocalypse, though a recently released teaser suggests some familiar faces will also drop in. Could Rick Grimes make an appearance?

If you’ve been following along with the latest announcements pertaining to The Walking Dead: World Beyond then you probably caught a glimpse of the new teaser trailer. Much of it was composed of rather vague shots from the first few episodes, but the ending put a spotlight back on CRM.

In the trailer, several soldiers from the clandestine group disembark from their helicopter sitting nearby. They are accompanied by their leader Elizabeth (Julia Ormond) who is making her first appearance from behind the veil of secrecy, according to Variety. Elizabeth’s group doesn’t get too much screen time in the teaser, but their presence establishes a connection with the original series nonetheless.

The reason CRM’s role needs to be acknowledged is that they have a role to play in next year’s Untitled Walking Dead movie, too. Details are still scant but their retrieval of Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) in Season 9 of The Walking Dead suggests the militarized group has recruited him onto their army. If true, that would open the door up for Rick to appear on World Beyond.

Check out the trailer below!

There are still a lot of variables to consider — including the possibility of Rick not surviving his cinematic adventures — but chances are he’ll take command of Elizabeth’s army before the end of the first film. Besides, Rick Grimes has never been one to back down from a fight. And he’s not too fond of other people lording over him either so he’ll probably wage war when the time comes.

Does Rick Grimes become the new leader of the free world?

Fans skeptical of such a theory will point to Elizabeth leading the covert squad in the present, which essentially rules Rick out as their leader. However, the Walking Dead alum doesn’t need to be present for every mission to be the one in charge. For all we know, he’s leading from behind the scenes as a General rather than as a soldier.

Assuming Rick does take on a leadership role in the group, Andrew Lincoln could cameo in next year’s Walking Dead TV series alongside the new cast. We don’t expect him to make an appearance in the premiere — or in the first half of season one — but following the movie’s debut sounds like a feasible option. That way, World Beyond can begin exploring the remainder of Rick’s story without spoiling the movie’s plot.

Additionally, Rick’s friends from TWD are also in contention to return for cameos. Fans might see the time-gap between series as a sign that all the main characters will be dead before the events of World Beyond take place, but there’s not as big of a gap as one would think.

To get a better perspective of the timeline, Judith Grimes (Cailey Fleming) can be used to measure. She’s about eight years old now and was born at the beginning of the apocalypse. That places a two-year gap between TWD and World Beyond since the upcoming series is set 10 years in the future.

With the timeline being accounted for, seeing characters like Judith Grimes and Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus) on World Beyond isn’t all that preposterous. Either could meet an untimely demise before TWD comes to an end but a few characters have to survive. Our money is on Judith and Daryl being among those who do make it.

Do you want to see The Walking Dead’s central cast crossover with World Beyond? Let us know in the comments.

The Walking Dead: World Beyond premieres in Spring 2020.